After months of interviews and background and reference checks, Kenneth Bradford started duties as the Silver Lake Police Chief on Dec. 7 — and resigned a week later.
Bradford said the position was not a good fit and it would be in the best interest of both the city and himself if he resigned.
The City Council re-appointed full-time officer RJ Cripps as the interim chief while the Council decides how to precede. Cripps served as the interim chief from September to December after former Police Chief Forrest Henriksen left.
After Bradford’s resignation, Mayor Bruce Bebo asked City Clerk Kerry Venier to contact the McLeod County Sheriff’s department to begin to explore options for law enforcement coverage in the city.
Venier reported that the sheriff’s department could provide supervisory coverage for the city’s police department, or could be contracted to provide law enforcement coverage for the city.
Venier added that the sheriff’s department would be open to the idea of hiring Cripps as a full-time employee and dedicate him to Silver Lake if that option was selected.
For more see the Dec. 23 print edition of The Chronicle.