Logan police chief announces resignation

Logan's police chief announced Monday that he is stepping down after three years in the position after losing the respect of members within his own department.

In a short e-mail to city employees, Chief Russell Roper expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve 21 years in the department and said, "After discussions with the Mayor, I am announcing that I am stepping down as Chief."

Roper did not return calls for a comment, but Mayor Randy Watts echoed sentiments that the 63-member police department had stopped following their leader.

"He lost the confidence of the patrol," Watts said. "It wasn't one or two individuals, it was across the board."

He did not cite a single reason for Roper's fall from the department's grace, but said numerous things over the years had accumulated and the only option was for the chief to step down.

"They needed a stronger leader and Russ wasn't able to give them that, from their view," Watts said. "It was time to say 'Let's talk about this' and we decided the best things for this police department is for him to step down."

Roper will serve as chief until the end of August when he leaves the force. Watts said he hopes to have singled out a candidate from a nationwide search by the time Roper leaves.

— Michael Gonda