Surprise Retirement for Bells Police Chief; New Chief Appointed
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After 19 years as Bells Police Chief, Ilandis Smith told Mayor Harold Craig he was retiring, effective immediately. “He just said he was burnt out, burnt out and I can understand that it’s a lot to a small town police chief job or police officers job,” said Bells Mayor Harold Craig. The Mayor promoted Roger Jenkins to the position of Police Chief. Jenkins has been with the Police Department for 20 years. “Pretty overwhelmed, and kind of sad at the same time because Chief Smith and I had been together since day one,” said Police Chief Roger Jenkins. According to Jenkins, Smith had been on medical leave for about two months. The Mayor said Smith said, “Here is my keys and here is my badge, I’m gonna retire. Hey, I don’t ever know what to expect,” Craig said. The new police chief is familiar with the problems in the area. “We are kind of a hub. We are around a lot of bad counties that’s got a lot of crime issues. They usually wind up through here and we get drug problems,” said Chief Jenkins. With Smith gone, the Bells Police Department has a full-time opening. If you are interested in applying, send a resume to City Hall. “I think a lot of ‘Smitty’ and I respect his decision and wish him the very best,” Craig said.
