Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
Madison Police Chief Tyrone Edwards has enjoyed a lengthy career in law enforcement. The Edwards family moved from New Jersey when Tyrone was seven years old, taking up residence in Homestead, Fla. After attending Florida Southern College, in Lakeland, Fla, Edwards enrolled at Miami Date Community College, where he became interested in law enforcement. He graduated from their police academy in 1984.
Edwards went on to serve the Homestead Police Department for 30 years, serving as director of the Police Activities League, overseeing eight to 15 employees. The League is a community organization dedicated to serving students with afterschool programs, camps, and other programs to help them succeed. The department also had a large facility, complete with classrooms and a gym. Routinely, the League would assist 50 kids in the afterschool program and 75 kids in the summer camps. Edwards retired in Homestead at the rank of Sergeant before moving to Madison in 2016, where he continued as a sergeant with the Madison Police Department.
After over thirty years in law enforcement, Edwards continues to be excited about his job and looks forward to serving the needs of the community as the new chief of police. “I love this job because every day is different and I enjoy meting new people,” said Edwards. “I’m big on community relations, and I hope to begin the Youth Explorer program again one day.” Edwards brings plenty of experience educating youth to his new role. He has extensive training and certification in crime prevention.
Though operating a small police department can be difficult, Edwards looks forward to the challenge and plans to continue improving the Madison Police Department and keeping it moving in the right direction.
Edwards and his wife, Juanita, have four children: Efrem, Jr., Jordan, Imani and Desmond.