Winder’s police chief and another officer resigned Tuesday amid allegations of fitness test cheating, city officials said.
City Administrator Donald Toms told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that 17-year Winder Police veteran and former chief Dennis L. Dorsey and Lt. Frank Farr stepped down earlier in the day “due to conduct unbecoming of a police officer.”
Maj. Jim Fullington, who was placed on administrative leave with Dorsey and Farr and later cleared, was named interim chief.
Details of the allegations and the subsequent investigation were not immediately available. And it is unclear whether a criminal investigation is forthcoming.
In a statement released Monday night, Winder Mayor David Maynard expressed his confidence in Fullington, a former GBI special agent in charge who joined the Winder police in January.
“My review of all the information concerning the improper testing procedures led me to the conclusion that Maj. Fullington acted properly in response to the information he received,” Maynard said. “Maj. Fullington understands the process that the City went through and appreciates the support of the administration.”
Fullington told Channel 2 Action News that the investigation was not without its toll on the department, and said he would work to restore morale and trust.
“Any time something to this level happens, it affects everybody,” Fullington said. “We’re going to take it one day at a time and rebuild the confidence of the department and the public.”
The investigation is closed, and Maynard said city officials will immediately begin searching for a new police chief.
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