Winder chief retires with two days' notice

Questioned at the time about why the 911 discussion had been held behind closed doors, city attorney John Stell said it was because personnel decisions were a part of that discussion.

Rodgers has not responded to the newspaper’s request for an interview about the reasons for his departure and to explain any concerns he might have about consolidated services.

However, Toms told the

Barrow Journal on Friday that the chief had expressed to him only minor concerns.

“Chief Rodgers did mention some minor concerns, many due to the dispatchers handling some clerical duties for the PD; however, he supported the consolidation based on providing better service to the citizens of Winder,” Toms wrote in an e-mail to the newspaper.

Toms also said it is not that unusual for a department manager to privately plan his resignation or retirement and, once the decision is made, to make a quick exit.

He said Rodgers had been preparing for retirement for months and had made sure Deputy Chief Dennis Dorsey was ready to take over the department.

On Jan. 21, Dorsey stepped into an “interim chief” role, and if he meets expectations in the coming months, he likely will become the permanent chief, Toms said.

He said there is no legal requirement for the position to be advertised. The city charter authorizes the mayor to appoint city employees.

Toms said Dorsey is scheduled to make a Feb. 7 presentation to the city council about his plans for the department.

Saying he didn’t want to steal the new chief’s thunder, Toms said the presentation would focus on moving the department toward a “community policing” model.

In his resignation letter, Rodgers endorsed Dorsey as his successor.

“He is an outstanding young man with strong family values, well trained, familiar with the community, its issues, and dedicated to the future of the City,” he wrote.

Dorsey got his start in law enforcement at the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, where he was a detention officer for more than two years. He has worked for the city’s police department for 14 years.

Late last year, Dorsey tested the waters elsewhere by applying for another chief’s position. But he stayed put and was named deputy chief in late December.

“The response I have gotten has been overwhelmingly positive from the mayor to the council to the citizens, and it changes your outlook when you get a response like that,” Dorsey said shortly after his initial promotion.

“Most of your law enforcement career is spent in a negative light and it’s good that I had an overwhelming response from the community giving me calls and encouraging me to stay,” he said. “It was heartwarming.”

Rodgers’ career in law enforcement spans 45 years.

He started in 1965 in Miami as a trooper for the Florida Highway Patrol. After retiring from that agency, he relocated to Georgia and served as Barnesville’s police chief from 1994-2001. He became Winder’s police chief in July 2001 and at the time of his resignation Friday was six months shy of a decade of service.

Rodgers has modernized Winder’s police department, and under his direction it has become a state-certified law enforcement agency.

“When I was brand new, they only had two or three computers,” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, who began his career working for Rodgers. “By the time I left, they had a dispatch call center, computers and laptops in the cars. He has brought that agency a long way in a short period of time.”

Smith added: “He’s done a lot for me and for the city of Winder. I hope he does well in whatever he does in the future.”