The Public Safety Commission has accepted Police Chief James D. Chadwick's resignation effective November 1, 2007. Chief Chadwick began as a rookie officer with the police department in 1974, serving Dalton for 33 years. Assistant Chief Jason Parker will serve as Interim Chief following Chadwick's departure.
From the Dalton Daily Citizen, by Charles Oliver:
When James Chadwick started as a patrol officer with the Dalton Police Department in 1974, the department had 22 officers. Today, the department has 92 officers.But the department has grown in more than just numbers, Chadwick says. “Now, we probably have the highest-educated law enforcement agency that we have ever had. I think we have somewhere around six or seven people with master’s degrees,” said Chadwick.
Chadwick, 55, announced his resignation Tuesday, effective Nov. 1. The Public Safety Commission and the Dalton City Council accepted the resignation and named assistant chief Jason Parker as interim chief while the city searches for a successor. Chadwick is leaving to become manager of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center law enforcement academy on Brickyard Road. “I’ve been looking at some other opportunities and actually found one I thought was a good fit for me, so I decided it was time to pursue that,” Chadwick said. As academy manager, Chadwick will be in charge of training new officers for law enforcement agencies across Northwest Georgia, including the Dalton Police Department.
Chadwick, who has been chief since 1994, says he has held just about every job he could hold in the department. “I went from patrol officer to detective. I was a detective sergeant, a detective lieutenant, a detective captain. I was in charge of support services as a captain. I then became deputy chief over support services, then I was deputy chief over patrol,” he said.
Chadwick, a Dalton native and Dalton High School graduate, served as a security officer in the Air Force before starting with the department. Chadwick says he has worked with many dedicated professional people in Dalton. “The department has accomplished a lot. We have improved the overall education and training of the department. That’s attributable to the hard-working people here in the department,” he said.
Chadwick said he will miss working with the men and women of the department. “We have a tremendous amount of qualified personnel here. I don’t think my leaving will impact the department whatsoever. I have every expectation the department will continue to move forward,” Chadwick said.
City Council members Tuesday praised Chadwick’s accomplishments at the department. “I was his faculty adviser (at Dalton State College),” recalled council member Terry Christie. “I’ve known James for a long, long time, and he is an outstanding man. He has done a remarkable job for us.” Mayor Ray Elrod was a member of the City Council that hired Chadwick as chief. “He has done a great job, and he will be missed. But I think he will be happy with his new endeavor, and he will still be here in Dalton,” Elrod said. Council member Dick Lowrey serves as the council’s liaison to the Public Safety Commission. “He’s done a great job, and we are going to miss him,” Lowrey said.
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