Stone Mountain police chief announces retirement amid period of turnover

Stone Mountain police Chief Chancey Troutman

Credit: Stone Mountain Police Department

Credit: Stone Mountain Police Department

Stone Mountain police Chief Chancey Troutman

Stone Mountain’s longtime police chief will join a growing shake-up among city staff by retiring at the end of the month.

Chancey Troutman, who has been with the Stone Mountain Police Department since 1988, will retire May 1, Interim City Manager Marie Garrett announced during a public meeting last Tuesday. According to state records, Troutman began his law enforcement career in Georgia a year prior with DeKalb County police.

“The chief of police, Mr. Troutman, after 35 years of dedicated and very local service to the city, has announced his retirement,” Garrett said. “... I’m working with him now to work up a transition plan so that we can be sure that the chief’s position is covered while we await the placement of a permanent chief of police for the city.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reached out to Garrett for more information on a transition plan and when an interim police chief would be named.

Troutman’s departure is one of the first announcements Garrett has made as interim city manager. On April 4, she replaced ChaQuias Miller-Thornton, who was city manager since 2016, after she resigned.

“After much prayer and consideration, I’ve decided that it is time to pursue other business and personal life aspirations,” Miller-Thornton wrote in a news release announcing her resignation. “The outpouring of well wishes and promises of continued support have made this decision bittersweet. There are just some wonderful people who live and work in this town.”

The two major departures come at a time when the six-member City Council remains divided on many issues, such as whether to continue with virtual public meetings. Stone Mountain and Stonecrest are the only DeKalb cities that have yet to resume in-person meetings.

The last two times the issue came up for a vote, newly elected mayor Beverly Jones had to break a 3-3 tie vote to keep meetings virtual. It will come up for a vote again April 23.