Former JPD Chief Rebecca Coleman dies

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Law enforcement leaders are remembering a former Jackson police chief who died on Sunday.

Rebecca Coleman passed away on March 26.

Coleman served as chief of the Jackson Police Department from 2009 to 2013 under former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. She was the department’s second woman police chief and second African American woman chief.

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said the two became close after her retirement.

“She’d always check on me and offer support as I continued to navigate through different ranks and opportunities,” he wrote on social media. “We both loved Starbucks coffee and I’d look forward to receiving electronic gift cards from her for my birthday.”

Colendula Green also shared a memory on social media, saying Coleman gave her the opportunity to serve as JPD’s first female public information officer.

“While working in administration under Chief Coleman is where I learned so much,” she wrote.

JPD Chief James Davis also is offering condolences on behalf of himself and the department.

“We cannot say thank you enough for your service and leadership to the citizens of Jackson and the Jackson Police Department,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “May your family and friends find comfort in the memory of the strong and determined woman that you were.”

Coleman was a graduate of JPD’s seventh recruit class and served in numerous capacities within the department, Davis said in his post. She also served with other agencies, including as a police chief in Texas.

The Simpson County native spoke with WLBT back in 2013 shortly before leaving office. She said it was her dream to lead the department and that being selected chief was the greatest accomplishment of her career.

Said Coleman, “Being a young lady from Simpson County, who would have thought that I would live my dream and that was my dream.”

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