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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – Standing with his hand on the Bible in front of a packed-out Helena City Hall, Mike Wood recited an oath with his wife standing right next to him, swearing him in as the city of Helena’s next police chief.

Wood was sworn into his new position with the Helena Police Department during a regularly scheduled Helena City Council meeting on Monday, April 14, affirming the beginning of a new era in the city’s law enforcement.

“I’m very excited,” Wood said. “I’m leaving a much larger department and coming to a smaller department where I think that we can have more of a community effect. I worked well with the community in Bessemer and I truly believe that when you work with the community, you can reduce and stop crime.” 

Wood believes that stepping into this new role will allow him a lot more time to really get to know the citizens he is serving, which he thinks might be an avenue that leads to success early on.

“This setting, I think, will be much more productive working with the community, and I think I’ll have more time to get out into the community more,” Wood said.

Wood previously served as the police chief of the Bessemer Police Department for the last two years. He was appointed to the position in April 2023 by Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley after former Chief Mike Roper left the role.

A Helena resident, Wood spent his entire 30-year career up to now with the Bessemer Police Department, beginning his time in law enforcement as a patrol officer in January 1995. After making his way through numerous roles throughout the BPD, he was eventually promoted to be the captain of the Patrol Division and Special Operations Unit in September 2013, where he remained until he was named the chief.

As a longtime resident of Helena, Wood sees excitement in the opportunity to serve the city that he lives in, knowing he could not pass up the chance to do so.

“I saw a need (in Helena), and I felt it was time to do something about it,” Wood said. “I think that it’s going to be exciting. It’s also kind of scary because you are stepping into where you live. People hold you to a little higher standard because you are from here, but you kind of need that sometimes.” 

An official job offer was extended to Wood following multiple rounds of interviews, the final round of which was held on Wednesday, March 19. During a special called work session that occurred at 7 p.m. that same night, the council unanimously voted to extend him an offer. Wood made the decision soon after to accept the position.

During the meeting on April 14, Helena Mayor Brian Puckett extended his congratulations to Wood for stepping into his new role and shared his excitement for what is to come in the new chapter of the Helena Police Department.

“I’m excited,” Puckett said. “The process was very vigorous. The council made a strong appointment, so I’m very thankful of the new leadership that we’ll have in the police department with the upcoming Chief Mike Wood.”

Wood obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1992 and later studied to obtain his higher education at Auburn University.

As he steps into the new position, Wood wants the citizens of Helena to know that he will work constantly to help to continue getting the Helena Police Department out in the community to interact and get involved.

“It’s not going to be overnight, but I really want us to be much more transparent, much more involved in the community,” Wood said. “I think the Helena Police Department is very involved in the community as it is, but I think we can do better. I think we can get out there a little more and actually interact with the community a lot.”