Savannah police chief on leave pending city investigation

SAVANNAH, Tenn. — While Savannah Police Chief Gary Will Jr. was on vacation, he said he got a call from city officials Thursday afternoon.

“Yesterday, I was called and told that due to the city manager being out of town until sometime on the 16th, I’d be on administrative leave until he got back and we had a chance to talk, probably on the 17th,” Chief Will said.

City Manager Garry Welch said there are no criminal allegations pending. He says he’s just trying to get to the bottom of the concerns raised both within the department and by some residents of Savannah.

Chief Will said over the phone Friday afternoon that he doesn’t know why he temporarily won’t be returning to work.

Welch said he put the chief on leave so he can conduct his own personal investigation into some things within the department. He continued to say Chief Will, who will be paid during the suspension, had done some great things for the department and that he wanted to be fair to both sides.

Savannah Police Officer Johnny Deloit was fired on Thursday. Officials said it was a violation of policy but wouldn’t comment further. They also said Will’s suspension and Deloit’s incident were not connected. Both Will and Deloit have worked for the department less than two years.