Canton Police Hires New Captain

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A new face will soon join the leadership staff at the Canton Police Department.

Wendell B. Turner Jr. has accepted an officer to join the local agency as captain in command of Canton police’s Support Services Bureau.

He is slated to start his tenure Oct. 21, and will be sworn into office at 11 a.m. Oct. 15.

“I strongly feel that Mr. Turner will be an exceptional addition to the Command Staff of our organization,” said Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell. “He has shown throughout his outstanding career that he has the leadership qualities, work ethic, integrity, character and community mindset that we need in this agency. The aforementioned traits, skills and experience he has developed throughout his career will not only enhance the support of our officers but will also strengthen our service to the community.”

Turner, a 22-year law enforcement veteran, began his career with the Statesboro Police Department in 1993 as a uniformed patrol officer.

He was quickly promoted through the ranks attaining positions in the Patrol Bureau as an advanced patrol officer, Investigative Bureau as detective, Professional Standards and Training Division Commander as lieutenant, Support Services Division Commander as lieutenant and later captain and Patrol Bureau Commander as captain.

Turner also progressed in a tactical capacity as an Emergency Response Team member, ERT Team leader and ERT Team commander.

In 2010, he was appointed by the Statesboro city manager to the newly created position of director of public safety, which oversees the police and fire departments. That position also manages the administration, operations, personnel management, fiscal preparations and responsibilities for each department.

Turner holds several Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) certifications, has served as an adjunct instructor for Ogeechee Technical College and the Southeast Georgia Regional Police Academy and taught as a part-time faculty member upper level justice studies courses at Georgia Southern University.

Turner has over 3,000 hours of advanced law enforcement training to his credit and also holds several current and past professional memberships and board appointments to various state and federal law enforcement organizations.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Georgia Southern University in 2004 and his master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University in 2006.

He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy Program in Quantico, Virginia, the 23rd Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Command College and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Professional Management Program.

Turner is the father of two children, Chandler, 15 and Devyn 18.

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Photo credit: Canton Police Department