Chief Johnny Gandy started his tenure with the City of Madison in 2021, moving to the area from Virginia Beach. There, Gandy served as Captain of the City of Virginia Beach Police Department, supervising more than 100 certified officers and non-sworn staff for a precinct of approximately 250 square miles. The 1st Precinct incorporates the US Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base, industrial and office complexes, a large shopping mall, and numerous residential neighborhoods from assisted housing to multi-million dollar homes. Chief Gandy progressed his law enforcement career since he was hired as a Patrol Officer in 1987, becoming an Acting Detective in 1991, and a regular Detective in 1996, promoted to Sergeant in 2000, a Lieutenant in 2010, and then a Captain in 2018. Chief Gandy has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University, and a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Troy University, and completed the FBI National Academy in 2017.
Chief Gandy has a long list of professional achievements. Gandy has established a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program, developing in-service training for Police Officers, and authorized a grant package to start the program, partnered with many CIT staffed agencies that resulted in the largest most successful program in the state of Virginia. Gandy has also supervised his previous department's Domestic Violence Unit (DMU); the local Navy military bases had an epidemic of domestic violence incidents involving military families due to increased deployments, and Gandy was asked to tailor the program for military members, which resulted in a drop in incidents.
Chief Gandy will continue MPD's mission of protecting and serving our community to the highest standard attainable, while enhancing the quality of life of every citizen through professional police services.