The Cullman City Council announced Monday, Sept. 23, that Joey Duncan would be taking charge of the City Police Department effective Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Duncan’s internal promotion followed Police Chief Dave Nassetta’s retirement announcement in August, after leading the department since December 2022.
Duncan joined the department in 2000 as a part-time correctional officer before transitioning into a full-time role as a patrol officer in 2004. He would go on to supervise the CPD traffic unit from 2021 until earlier this year when he returned to his patrol unit as a supervisor. Most recently, Duncan has maintained his role as interim patrol captain.
Duncan has also served as the coordinator for the CPD field training program and the traffic homicide unit, establishing himself as a certified re-constructionist.
Following his appointment on Monday, Duncan told The Times that his time spent supervising the traffic unit had been among the most challenging of his career, but was proud of the progress the department had made in reducing the number of fatal wrecks to some of the lowest in nearly a decade.
“Our traffic crashes had been increasing over the last few years, including traffic fatalities. We made that a target area of ours to get those down. Over the last two years, the traffic fatalities have lowered to some of the lowest percentages we’ve seen in about the last eight or nine years,” Duncan said.
Council member and public safety chairman Brad Smith praised Duncan’s “proactive approach” and leadership abilities in a press release confirming the announcement. Mayor Woody Jacobs sang similar praises in the release saying: “Joey Duncan’s commitment to our community and extensive experience make him an outstanding choice for police chief. I am confident that under his guidance we will enhance public safety and strengthen trust between our officers and the community.”
Duncan said he was “honored and humbled,” by the appointment and was looking to continue the CPD’s focus on building relationship with the local community.
“We want to continue the great work we’ve done with community relations and community policing. That’s a really big thing for us,” Duncan said.