Local & State Headlines

Town names interim chief

• Sylvester names an interim police chief after the Tuesday resignation of Tony Strenth.

Susan McCord

SYLVESTER – While longtime officer Tony Strenth will stay on the city of Sylvester's police force, ongoing "issues" of officer morale and staff turnover precluded Strenth's resignation as chief Tuesday, the city's mayor said.

City Manager Debbie Bridges on Wednesday named Assistant City Manager Tommy Bozeman, the city's previous chief of police, as interim chief over the city force, which includes about two dozen sworn personnel.

Strenth's resignation came a few hours after a letter terminating him was inadvertently faxed to the wrong number – intended for City Attorney Tommy Coleman, the letter got to Strenth before the meeting Bridges and Bozeman intended to have with him, according to Sylvester Mayor Bill Yearta.

"I think the city manager intended to reassign Tony to other duties within the police department," Yearta said.

Strenth, who stays with the department as a captain, has been the subject of "a couple of issues over the last few months, and it has been discussed" by the mayor and council, Yearta said.

High staff turnover is one of the city's biggest concerns, he said.

The city lost one officer last year after he was accused of sexual harassment; another staffer was fired for performing an illegal background check, according to previous reports. Two other former personnel have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

A recent measure requiring local nightclubs to post POST-certified security personnel while open has lessened the burden on the city's remaining officers, Yearta said.

The force's move two months ago into a new headquarters has aided a morale issue, he said.

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