Police Chief Resigns

MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP) - Moss Point Police Chief Demetrius Drakeford will leave his job at the end of the year,
Drakeford, who took over in September 2005 just weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit, submitted his resignation Monday. Mayor Xavier Bishop says that resignation will become effective December 31st.
According to a story in the Sun Herald, Bishop said Drakeford, like other city department heads, has been under a lot of pressure dealing with post-Katrina recovery issues. Pressure so great that the mayor said even he's debating whether or not to run for re-election in a year.
"There is no smoking gun," Bishop said. "I see it as a career move...His leaving has nothing to do with the performance of the Police Department."
Bishop says he will recommend an interim police chief to the board of aldermen, and the city will advertise and interview
prospective candidates to fill the position.
Bishop says the police department under Drakeford's tenure was
on the upswing and improvements were implemented, ranging from
increased neighborhood watches and community involvement to unique
recruiting methods to fill positions since Hurricane Katrina.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)