Christopher James Butts

Christopher James Butts, the longtime assistant chief of the Brandon Police Department who inspired respect and affection throughout the community, passed away on April 21, 2026, at age 54, likely due to diabetes-related complications. Known for holding himself and his officers to the highest standards, Chris earned a reputation for fairness and accountability.

“Integrity was one of the biggest things with him,” said current Brandon Police Chief Joseph French, a close friend who worked under Chris for years. “As a leader in law enforcement, if your people don’t have integrity, you don’t have a police department. He was honest.”

At Chris’s retirement ceremony in March 2023 at City Hall, his heartfelt remarks about serving Brandon brought many to tears. French noted that Chris will be buried with full honors—a fitting tribute to a life dedicated to public service.

But Chris was more than a badge and uniform. To his friends, he was simply “Butts”—a man quick with a grin, always ready to laugh, fiercely loyal, and never shy about voicing his opinions with sharp wit. A few months after stepping down on March 31, 2023, he posted on Facebook, “I have no more affiliation with the Brandon Police Department. Not trying to be rude or sarcastic, but if your mother’s, brother’s, uncle’s, sister’s, grandson’s, girlfriend gets a ticket, I can’t help you. Peace out.” Soon enough, however, boredom lured him back on a part-time basis.

Born February 16, 1972, and raised around Jackson and Brandon, Chris was a natural athlete who starred in high school football and baseball. He was an avid outdoorsman—hunting and fishing whenever he had the chance. Above all, he adored his two children, Chandler and Laney, and Laney’s young son. In his final years, nothing delighted him more than spending time with his grandson Colson, who loved chasing bass and bream and tagging along while “Pop Pop” tended chickens or tomato plants. More than once Chris would grumble, “Let that thing go, Col-Baby,” before breaking into a chuckle at his grandson’s latest backyard discovery of a frog or other critter.

Recently, the family gathered for a crawfish boil in honor of Laney’s birthday, and Chris told friends how much it meant to have all three generations together.

Chris began his law-enforcement career as a patrolman in 1994, after a couple of years as a dispatcher in Brandon and Pearl. He moved steadily up the ranks, was named assistant chief in 2010, and even served as interim chief on several occasions—a role he could likely have claimed permanently had he chosen to. He worked alongside three chiefs over his tenure, becoming the longest-serving employee in department history.

Former Chief William Thompson, who spent nine years with Chris, recalled their first meeting at City Hall when Thompson’s appointment was still secret. Chris, ever resourceful, ran Thompson’s license plate and then let a flood of phone calls reveal the news.

“Where I leaned on him the most was his connections. He knows everyone,” Thompson recalled. “He’s got a personality that’s kind of hard not to like. When people would get under my skin and I had about enough, he’d say, ‘Chief, let me take a swing at them,’ and then he’d take care of it.”

Brandon will feel his absence deeply, but Chris’s faith carried him through life’s challenges—he attended Meadow Grove Baptist Church—and we take comfort in the promise of reuniting with him one day.

He is survived by his daughter, Laney Butts; son, Chandler Butts; grandchild, Colson Butts; parents, Charles & Nita Butts; grandmother, Beatrice Creighton; brothers, Cliff Butts (Vanessa) and David Butts (CeCe); aunts, Nelda Luckett, Peggy Stansell (Jerry) and his cousins, Scott Stansell, Timothy Stansell, Bryon Stansell and Cole Taylor. Chris is preceded in death by his grandparents, Rev. & Mrs. Stanton Butts and Gene Bennett.

Services will be held at 2pm on Fri. April 24, 2026 at Meadow Grove Baptist Church in Brandon, MS. Visitation will be held on Fri. April 24, 2026 from 11am-2pm at Meadow Grove Baptist Church. Burial will follow the services at the Crestview Memorial Gardens in Brandon, MS. Ott & Lee Funeral Home in Brandon, MS is handling arrangements.