Centerville police chief submits resignation

Centerville Mayor and Council met on Thursday evening for their regular session, and their first item of new business was the announcement of the retirement of Chief Chuck Hadden of the Centerville Police Department.

It had been publicized several weeks ago that Hadden was on leave until further notice. In a memorandum dated September 15, 2020, entered into by and between Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton and the city of Centerville, the sheriff would provide “certified and qualified officer(s) to oversee and manage the Centerville Police Department for a period of 90 days…” Overseeing the department since that time has been Captain Ricky Harlowe, a 43-year law enforcement veteran who has served 37 of those years as a part of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. Harlowe was in attendance at Thursday’s council meeting when Hadden’s letter of resignation was presented.

In the letter, dated October 26, 2020 and addressed to mayor and council, Hadden wrote, “I am writing this letter regarding my retirement on 10-27-2020. It is with a heavy heart and after careful consideration that I have decided that it is time for me to make this change in my life. It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Centerville during my tenure with the Centerville Police Department. I have had the pleasure to serve alongside the bravest men and women in law enforcement and I will take those friendships and memories with me forever.”

After the reading of Hadden’s letter and council’s unanimous accepting of it, Mayor Harley said, “It’s really a hard thing to take something like this, but I appreciate where he’s coming from. It has been an honor to have him serving with us, and we really wish him the best in the future.”

Keeping in line with the discussion of Centerville Police Department, Harlowe later took the podium to present a proposal that outlined a new structure of the department. During that discussion, the question was raised by Councilman Justin Wright whether a new work chart structure should be implemented before completing the search for a new police chief.

“Everybody is different,” Wright said. “I don’t want to put us in a position where we make a lot of changes, and then in six to eight weeks, we’re looking to shift all that again. We’ve had enough transition. I think as much stability as possible might be more in order.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Harlowe said during one of his responses. “But there again, I’m looking at this. Obviously, there’s morale issues over there, and I think showing the people at the police department that we’re moving in a direction will bring the morale up and give them a sense of security over there going forward.” Harlowe further stated, “I feel that whomever your new chief is, that it would attract them more knowing that he’s coming into a [department] that’s already structured with a command staff, and he would feel more comfortable. I would, if I were applying.”

Wright responded with, “I agree with you. I think that’s a good idea. Now that you mention moving forward, I think that we should have some discussion about what the process is like for the search for a new chief of police. We have hired a number of them in recent past, and we’ve had some discussions about what that might look like. I don’t think there’s any time to waste for us to begin looking. Like you said, we have some morale issues and some challenges, and nothing fixes that better than moving forward. I agree with you completely.”

Discussion began on how the vacated position might be advertised. Attorney Rebecca Tydings suggested the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, social media and GMA’s marketplace advertisement platform. Harlowe added the suggestion of ACCG.

“We can begin the process tomorrow by placing ads,” Councilman Micheal Evans offered. “After that, once we receive candidates, it’s just a matter of determining how they will be vetted.”

After some thought, Harley said, “If we put ads out, it’s going to take a couple of weeks before we get any responses back; probably longer. I think between now and then we can come to a decision of how we want to vet them. At the next meeting, we can actually put in on the agenda. Does that sound like a reasonable thing to everybody?

“Sounds perfect,” Councilman Armijo said.

The city of Centerville’s current agreement with Houston County Sheriff’s office for temporary leadership at the Centerville Police Department is valid through December 15. It was determined that if more time becomes necessary in finding a replacement, the contract would be extended. It was unanimously agreed to table the discussion of hiring a new chief until the next council meeting.

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