About Us

Chief Adam Cooper is a 1989 Graduate of Gulfport High School. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi earning a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a Minor in Forensic Science.  Adam Cooper was hired by the Gulfport Police Department in 1995 as a Community Service Technician and then hired as a full time patrol officer in 1996.  He then attended and graduated the Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1997.  In 2000, he was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division with the rank of Detective.  In 2005, Adam Cooper was promoted to Detective Sergeant assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division.  In 2010, he was promoted to Detective Lieutenant and Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Division for the first District.  In 2011, Adam Cooper attended and graduated from the Southern Police Institute’s Police Executive Leadership Graduate Program at the University of Louisville.  In 2015, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and made the Officer in Charge of Special Enforcement Division of the Gulfport Police Department.  Adam Cooper has also had numerous other collateral duty assignments during his tenure at the Gulfport Police Department. In January 2018, Adam Cooper was appointed to Deputy Commander and assigned to the Operations Bureau. In December 2018, Adam Cooper was appointed as Commander of the Operations Bureau. In May 2022 Adam Cooper was appointed the Chief of Police

Dailey is a graduate of Collins High School and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Spanish and Counseling Psychology. Deputy Chief Dailey is also a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s Police Executive Leadership Graduate Program at the University of Louisville.

Dailey began her career in law enforcement in 1995 with the University of Southern Mississippi Police Department, where she was promoted to Lieutenant. She then worked as an Agent with the Pearl River Basin Narcotics Task Force from 1996 to 1998.

Dailey’s career with the Gulfport Police Department began in 1998 as an Undercover Officer before moving to the Patrol Division. She was assigned to Criminal Investigations Division as a Detective in 2000. Dailey was promoted to the rank of Detective Sergeant in 2007, and later she was assigned to the Professional Standards Division where she was promoted to Lieutenant and the Officer in Charge of the unit in 2010.  She was assigned to the Support Bureau as Officer in Charge of Administrative Services in October of 2013. Dailey was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2019 and was later appointed as Deputy Commander of the Support Bureau. In September of 2020, she was appointed Commander of Support Services. As of June 1, 2022, Dailey will be the Deputy Chief of the Gulfport Police Department. She is the first female officer to ever hold the position.

Deputy Commander Tommy Payne graduated from Biloxi High School in 1994. Payne began his career at the Gulfport Police Department in August of 2000 and graduated from the Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy in March of 2001. Payne served nearly fifteen years in the Patrol Division where he was promoted to Sergeant in 2007. He held collateral duties of Field Training Officer and Field

Training Officer Supervisor during his time in patrol. Payne was assigned to the Professional Standards Bureau as an Internal Affairs Detective Sergeant in 2015 where he served for four years. In February 2018, Detective Sergeant Payne attended the 139th Administrative Officers Course of the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville where he was recognized as a Dean Scholar and elected to serve as a class officer serving as the Sergeant at Arms. In April of 2019, Payne was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Support Bureau where he was the Officer in Charge of the Communication Division, Records and Police Clerks, and Warrants Division. He held collateral duties of Emergency Operations Coordinator for the City of Gulfport as well as PT instructor. In September 2020, Payne was appointed to the rank of Deputy Commander in the Support Bureau. In March 2021, Payne was appointed to the rank of Commander of the Professional Standards Bureau.

Commander Phillip Kincaid is a 1982 graduate of Southern High School in Racine, Ohio. When he completed high school, he joined the United States Navy Seabees, where he served for 20 years with distinction before retiring honorably in 2002 as a Navy Chief Petty Officer. Kincaid joined the Gulfport Police Department in September 1999 as a Reserve Police Officer and served in this capacity until March 2002, when he was hired as a full-time Police Officer in the Operations Bureau. In July 2003, he became a Field Training Officer; and in February 2007, he was promoted to Sergeant. In December 2010, Kincaid was promoted to Lieutenant, where he created the Special Events Division before eventually assuming command of both the Reserve Program and Traffic Division. Kincaid changed duty assignments in May 2015, when he assumed duties as second in command of the Professional Standards Bureau and was responsible for overseeing training, policy and planning, and serving as the department’s Accreditation Manager. In late 2015, Kincaid attended and graduated from the Southern Police Institute 134^th Administrative Officers Course in Louisville, Kentucky, and received the B. Edward Campbell Service Award. In January 2018, Kincaid moved to the Support Bureau, where he was appointed as the Officer-in-Charge of Data Management and oversaw the day-to-day operations of both Dispatch and Records personnel. In December 2018, Kincaid was promoted to the rank of Captain and reassigned to the Operations Bureau as the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Events Division, Traffic Division, and the Department’s Reserve Program. On January 1, 2020, Kincaid was assigned as the Officer in Charge of Uniformed Services, and in March of 2021, was appointed as the Deputy Commander of Operations. On May 2, 2022, Kincaid was appointed as the Commander of Operations for the Gulfport Police Department.

Commander Clayton Fulks began his public service career with the Mississippi Gaming Commission as a Compliance Officer in 2004. He served in this capacity until the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina displaced him to Alabama. He began his law enforcement career with the Mobile Police Department in 2007.  He was hired by the Gulfport Police Department in 2011 as a patrol officer. In 2014, he was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division as a Detective.  In 2017, Fulks was promoted to Sergeant and assigned as the Recruiter/Public Information Officer.  In 2018, he returned to the Criminal Investigations Division as a Detective Sergeant. In 2020, Fulks was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned as the Officer in Charge of Administrative Services in the Support Division. In January 2022, he rejoined the Criminal Investigations Division as the Officer in Charge at the rank of Lieutenant. This move was brief, however, Fulks was appointed to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Support Division in February 2022. In May 2022, Fulks was appointed Commander of the Support Division.

Clayton Fulks is a 1998 graduate of Harrison Central High School. He is a 2003 graduate of the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Accountancy. He attended and graduated from the Mississippi Command College in 2019. In 2021, he attended the 145th Administrative Officers Course of the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville, where he was recognized as a Dean Scholar. Clayton Fulks has held a variety of collateral duty assignments such as Field Training Officer, D.R.I.V.E. Team, and Mentorship Program.

Deputy Commander Gregory Peleaz is a 2003 graduate of St. John’s High School. He later graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.  Deputy Commander Peleaz is currently attending Mississippi State University and pursuing his Master’s in Business Administration degree. In 2008, he began his career with the Gulfport Police Department and attended the Southern Regional Public Safety Institute. In 2011, he was assigned to the Street Crimes Unit; and in February 2016, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the Patrol Division.  Peleaz has held numerous collateral duties within the Gulfport Police Department, including Field Training Officer, Clandestine Laboratory Investigator, Marine Patrol Unit, and Mississippi Force Response Unit. In February 2020, Peleaz was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Patrol Division where he served until his reassignment to the Support Bureau in October of 2020. While with the Support Bureau, he oversaw the operations of the Department’s fleet and Court Services, as well as the Records and Police Clerks. In December 2021, Peleaz was assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of Administrative Services and oversees the Department’s budget, grants, and building maintenance. In May 2022, Peleaz was promoted to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Support Bureau.

In August 2015, Peleaz enlisted in the Mississippi Army National Guard serving as an infantryman until the acceptance of his commission in March of 2018. Peleaz was a distinctive graduate of the Armor Officer Leader’s Course at Fort Benning, GA, in November 2018; Peleaz currently serves as an Executive Officer with the 1-155^th Infantry Battalion and has been awarded the Army Service Medal, National Defense Ribbon, DC Emergency Medal, and two Army Commendation Medals.

Deputy Commander Aaron Fore was born and raised in Gulfport and is a 1997 graduate of Christian Collegiate Academy in Gulfport. He began his career as a Gulfport Police Officer in 2000 and graduated from the Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy in March 2001. Deputy Commander Fore was assigned to the S.W.A.T. Team in March 2003, where he served as a member of the Entry Team. Fore served the City of Gulfport as a Patrol Officer until April 2007, that same year, he was promoted to the rank of Detective and transferred to the Narcotics Investigations Division. Fore was also promoted and assigned as the S.W.A.T. Entry Team Leader and Assistant S.W.A.T. Commander. In October 2010, Fore was promoted to the rank of Detective Sergeant in the Narcotics Investigations Division, where he was responsible for all narcotics enforcement operations in the City of Gulfport. In July 2015, he was promoted to the rank of Detective Lieutenant and Officer in Charge of the Narcotics Division. In 2016, Fore attended and graduated from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Unit Commander’s Academy. In 2017, Aaron Fore attended and graduated from the Southern Police Institute’s 137^th Administrative Officers Course and Police Executive Leadership Program at the University of Louisville. In July 2017, he was transferred to the Support Bureau and assigned as the Officer in Charge of Police Technology and Dispatch Center for the Gulfport Police Department. On January 1, 2018, Fore was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned as the Patrol Captain and Officer-in-Charge of Uniform Services for the Gulfport Police Department. On January 1, 2020, Fore was re-assigned to the Investigative Division as the Captain and Officer in Charge of Investigative Services. On May 2, 2022, Fore was appointed as the Deputy Commander of Operations for the Gulfport Police Department.

Deputy Commander Fore also serves in the United States Coast Guard with Coast Guard Port Security Unit 308, where he has been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, a Unit Commendation Ribbon, a Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbon, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, and the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal.

Captain Shaun Sebring began his career as a Police Officer in the Patrol Division in December of 2005 with the city on the heels of Hurricane Katrina. Sebring graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Academy in June of 2006. In December of 2009, Sebring attended the Southern Regional Public Safety Institute (SRPSI) and became a certified Field Training Officer. Sebring was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division from 2010 to 2012. In the summer of 2015, Sebring was promoted to the rank of Sergeant overseeing various patrol shifts and a violent crime unit. Sebring held that position until he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Patrol Division in March of 2018. On November 2, 2020, Sebring was promoted to Captain of Special Events. Sebring is also a graduate of the Mississippi Regional Command College at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS. In June of 2020 Sebring was assigned as the Officer in Charge of the Special Events Division, Traffic Division, and Reserve Program. In March of 2021, Sebring was assigned as a Patrol Captain.

Captain Paul Podlin is a 21 year veteran officer of the Gulfport Police Department.  Captain Podlin is a 1990 graduate of St. John High School, in Gulfport, and is lifelong resident of the MS Gulf Coast.  Captain Podlin graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. Captain Podlin first joined the Gulfport Police Department in 1997 as a reserve police officer.  He served in this capacity until he graduated from the MS Police Corps Law Enforcement Training Academy and was hired as a full time police officer in 1999.  In 2000, Captain Podlin was assigned to the departments Pro-Active Unit, and SWAT Entry Team.   Captain Podlin was assigned to the departments Bike Unit in 2002, and then reassigned to the Street Crimes Unit in 2003, formally named the Pro-Active Unit.  In 2004, Captain Podlin was named the OIC of the Street Crimes Unit.  In 2005, Captain Podlin was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and remained the OIC of the Street Crimes Unit, then was appointed as the OIC of the K-9 Unit, and SWAT Team.  In 2007, Captain Podlin returned to Patrol as a Patrol Supervisor until he was appointed as the OIC of Training and FTO Program Manager in 2012.  In 2017, Captain Podlin attended and graduated from the Mississippi Command College, at the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, MS.  In 2018, Captain Podlin was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Professional Standards Bureau, where he continued his training duties and was also appointed as the departments Accreditation and Policy Manager.  In 2018, Captain Podlin attended the 141^st Administrative Officers Course of the Southern Police Institute, at the University of Louisville, and was designated as a Dean’s Scholar. In 2020, Captain Podlin was assigned to the Support Bureau as the OIC of the departments SRO and ACO units. In 2021, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned to the Operations Bureau.  Captain Podlin is currently the OIC of Special Events, DUI Unit, Motor Unit, Reserve Division and the SWAT Team.