Gary Will Jr. no longer Savannah police chief

SAVANNAH, Tenn. — City officials say Gary Will Junior is no longer chief of police in Savannah.

This comes after Will was put on administrative leave March 10.

City Manager Garry Welch said the department needed to go in a new direction, but other than that, nothing official has been given on why the chief was separated from the department.

Welch also included in his statement, “Gary Will Jr. is no longer the Chief of police. I appreciate the service Chief Will provided to the city of Savannah during a time of enormous transition.”

Mayor Bob Shutt said he trusts Welch made the right decision. “I think anybody that works for the city will tell you the same thing,” Mayor Shutt said. “If they call me, I say go through the proper channels. If something happens you don’t like, you can always call an appeal.”

When Will was placed on administrative leave, Capt. Terry Hosea took over the department, but Welch said he doesn’t know who will be in charge now.

Going through personnel files since the chief was hired in November 2014, the only documents in addition to employment forms were certificates and awards.

On the phone, the former chief of police said he is still unsure why he is no longer in charge and was only told the department needed a new direction.

The city said they were meeting Thursday with officers and employees of the department to discuss what’s next.