Roswell Police Chief To Retire At End Of Year

ROSWELL, GA — Months after a series of controversial incidents surrounding the Roswell Police Department came to light, the man leading the agency announced his plans to step down.

Rusty Grant has announced his retirement from the position he's held since March 2013, according to the city. Grant's retirement will be effective Dec. 30. Capt. Helen Dunkin will be appointed interim deputy police chief, and she will become interim police chief upon Grant's retirement. Following that transition, the city of Roswell will begin the process of hiring a new police chief.

According to an email sent Wednesday morning announcing his retirement, Chief Grant said his decision "was based upon career opportunities." Those opportunities were not immediately made clear.

"I will visit with you in the following weeks and discuss my thought process so you have a better understanding of my decision," he said in the email.

The outgoing chief added that working with the officers and staff at the Roswell Police Department "has been a great experience."

“The Roswell Police Department consists of the best men and women, sworn and civilian, in the business," Grant added. "It has been my pleasure to work with each of you over the last six years.”

The chief noted he believes the process to find his permanent replacement could take several months for the city to complete.

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Grant's announcement comes four months after the city brought on a firm to conduct a top-down assessment of the Roswell Police Department. Bringing on the organization was one of the things the city and Police Chief Rusty Grant pledged to do in the aftermath of current and former officers making headlines due to controversial traffic stops and incidents.

The most infamous incident involved two former officers who used a coin-flipping app to determine whether they would cite or arrest a motorist accused of speeding. Those former cops, Courtney Brown and Kristee Wilson, had their employment terminated by the city after an internal investigation.

Another controversy came to light when reports surfaced that Sgt. Daniel Elzey left a teenager inside a freezing patrol car in an effort to get him to provide the details needed to contact his parents. That teenager was pulled over by officers after he was spotted riding a golf cart along Highway 9 during the overnight hours of Jan. 2. The agency also had to contend with dash cam footage showing a police K-9 in its employment attacking a teenager who was obeying officer's orders.

Grant has 39 years of law enforcement experience. Before becoming Roswell's police chief, he was brought on in September 2012 to serve as deputy chief. Previously, Grant was the Special Agent in Charge of the Regional Drug Office in Canton for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. While with the GBI, Grant specialized in investigating violent crimes, property crimes, drug enforcement and technology.

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