SALTILLO — A north Mississippi police department is looking for a new chief.
Saltillo Police Chief Grant Bailey turned in his resignation Monday, after eight years in the post. His last day will be May 31, The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.
“I was looking for a change in my life for personal reasons,” Bailey said. “The new administration coming in had nothing to do with this. I have been doing some soul searching for the last few months and thinking about getting out of law enforcement for a while. Being a police officer is a calling and right now, something else is calling me.”
Bailey has not said what his future plans include.
The Saltillo Board of Aldermen accepted Bailey’s resignation letter. During a special meeting Tuesday, aldermen named Bill Roberts as interim chief and voted to begin advertising to fill the chief’s slot permanently.
Other than a brief stint as a part-time officer at Guntown, Bailey’s entire career has been with the Saltillo Police Department. He began in 2004 as a reserve officer, went to the police academy and was later hired as a certified officer. He’s served as a patrol officer, a DUI officer and the department’s K-9 officer. He also held the position of sergeant.
“I started at the bottom of the totem pole and was able to move my way up,” Bailey said.
He was promoted to chief in July 2013.
Bailey said he tried to time his resignation to allow the new city administration a chance to put their stamp on the future of Saltillo’s police department.
In July, the city will have a new mayor and two new aldermen.
One of the first things the new chief will have to do is to select an assistant chief. Just one day after Bailey turned in his resignation, current Assistant Police Chief Chris Joshlin filed his two-week notice. Bailey said Joshlin has 22 years with the department. With overtime and having worked at other agencies, he was eligible for state retirement.
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