Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong was elected second vice president of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police at its 2016 summer conference attended by more than 200 police chiefs.

His election opens the way for Armstrong to serve as president of the organization in 2018, after serving as first vice president next year.

“I’m very humbled and appreciative of my fellow chiefs for giving me the opportunity to serve,” Armstrong said. “I’m looking forward to working with other chiefs on programs to improve working conditions for police officers, and working with the legislators on the various issues that affect law enforcement in the state of Mississippi.

“We will be meeting with legislators to discuss those issues.”

Armstrong said one of his duties as second vice president involves planning training programs for the chiefs during the association’s winter and summer conferences.

“I’ll be seeking programs for our training sessions that will be beneficial for the chiefs in our state,” he said. “We stay in contact with law enforcement agencies across the country to learn about programs that can be useful for the police chiefs in Mississippi.”

He said another goal for the association involves increasing the number of accredited law enforcement agencies in Mississippi.

“Right now, we have 27 accredited agencies, and that includes the Vicksburg Police Department, which is due to the leadership in our department,” Armstrong said. “We want to try and include more agencies as accredited.”

A 25-year veteran with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Armstrong was appointed police chief by former Mayor Paul Winfield in 2009. He was retained as chief by the present Board of Mayor and Aldermen in 2013.