Athens-Clarke Police Chief Cleveland Spruill announces he will retire in March
Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Cleveland Spruill announced Tuesday he will retire on March 10.
“It has been a privilege to work with the Athens-Clarke County community and the fine men and women of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. However, I have decided to end my law enforcement career and move home to Maryland to spend time enjoying retirement with family and friends,” Spruill said in a news release.
County Manager Blaine Williams, who hired Spruill in February 2019, announced he will appoint an interim chief in coming weeks until a permanent replacement is hired. He did not specify a target date for the hire.
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About a year ago, Spruill applied for the job of police chief for the city of Frederick, Md. He was one of two finalists for the job, but the city chose an officer from Pittsburgh.
Spruill, a native of Queens, N.Y., who relocated with his family Richmond, Va., in 1978, has about 35 years of experience in law enforcement, including posts in Alexandria, Va., and Huntersville, N.C. A U.S. Army veteran, he is also a graduate of the FBI Academy.
The Athens-Clarke department “is left better equipped, better trained, and better prepared than when I arrived in 2019,” the chief said in the release.
Williams expressed gratitude for Spruill’s service.
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“He has supported and developed both its sworn and non-sworn public servants, as well as to make real and lasting connections with residents and community stakeholders,” Williams said in his statement.
During Spruill’s time in Athens, he saw the overall crime rate reduced, expanded the department’s take-home vehicle program, reinstituted a canine unit, brought the department into compliance with the President’s Task Report on 21st Century Policing and led the effort for a new pay plan, according to the release.
Spruill was hired to replace Scott Freeman, who was forced to resign after officials cited poor morale, a high officer turnover and other problems in the police department.
After Spruill became chief, the city experienced a series of shootings involving police officers. Six people were shot by officers responding to calls, five fatally.
In each case, then-District Attorney Ken Mauldin ruled the shots fired by the officers were justified and no criminal wrongdoing was found on their part. He described the shootings of 2019 as “unprecedented.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens-Clarke Police Chief Cleveland Spruill will retire in March
