Chief Brandon Chewning announces his retirement from the WPD

WADESBORO — Chief Brandon Chewning of the Wadesboro Police Department has tendered his retirement notice, with his last day of duty January 30.

Chewning’s move shares interesting parallels with the South Carolina town of McColl, who in recent weeks has seen its entire police force resign and the death of its mayor in a traffic collision.

The former chief of the McColl police force, Bob Hale, said he resigned due to ongoing internal disputes between his department and a member of McColl’s town council. While town council may not be the issue in Wadesboro, infighting between the town’s newly appointed out-of-county town manager and Chewning had become a source of local gossip and division.

Hale said he made the difficult decision to resign from the department he loved and has since found employment with the nearby Bennettsville, S.C., Police Department. After Hale tendered his resignation, the remaining officers on the force followed suit, leaving the town of McColl under the jurisdiction of the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office.

Following the resignations, the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office has also stepped in to provide the cash strapped town with officers to patrol the streets and maintain safety in McColl schools, similar to the way the Anson County Sheriff’s Office stepped up to assist Wadesboro’s struggling police force.

Back in September, Alexandria, Tennessee saw its entire police force resign just 27 days into the tenure of its new mayor. The police force cited the mayor’s micromanaging of their department and lack of respect for why they too resigned en masse.

In another parallel to Wadesboro in this police resignation epidemic, Alexandria’s residents claim they are not only frustrated with the lack of police protection, but also concerns over the town’s water quality.

In the days following the McColl resignations, both the former chief and McColl town councilman Harry Benjamin, have shared conflicting public statements.

Instead of providing much needed clarity for the residents of McColl, their statements have instead highlighted the extent of the hostility that led to the mass resignations of the entire McColl police force.

Luckily for the people of Wadesboro, Chief Chewning’s retirement has not led to the town being left without a police force, despite its dwindling numbers of late.

Born and raised in Anson County, Chewning has known no other profession than serving the town of Wadesboro.

In his 26 years with the Wadesboro Police Department, Chewning has served as a patrol officer, sergeant and lieutenant. Chewning was promoted up the ranks until he reached the pinnacle of his career last December in Wadesboro, Chief of Police.

However, Chewning ran into trouble this past June, going from a police force of 18 officers on June 3, to a loss of 13 officers from the force over the intervening months. Many of these former officers have since taken positions in Anson County’s neighboring communities.

The Wadesboro Police Department now has nine officers on its force and as more officers have been hired and sources within the police department claim Chief Chewning is not involved in the hiring process of the new officers to the force, as is customary practice.

Instead, sources said Wadesboro’s town manager, town clerk and a former lieutenant with WPD are the ones that have been involved in the hiring process. For example, in the past, when the Wadesboro Police Department Facebook page posted an advertisement for employment, applicants were asked to apply directly with the police department. The ad posted over the summer directed all inquiries and applicants to Wadesboro Town Hall.

According to reports, Wadesboro has a crime rate of 10,385 per 100,000 residents. When compared with the national average, Wadesboro’s crime rate is 346.83% higher.

Providing clarification in an attempt to calm resident’s concerns, Wadesboro Town Manager Wiley Ross Jr. issued a statement explaining the change in procedure.

“We thank him [Chief Chewning] for 25 years of service to the community and wish him the best. I was informed by our HR manager [Debbie Cox] that the policy has changed slightly. We now require that all job applicants be submitted directly to the human resources department, which is a standard practice across the country.”

Ross explained the move was made to streamline Wadesboro’s recruitment process by enhancing the overall hiring experience, both for applicants and Wadesboro’s internal team.

“By centralizing applications through human resources, we aim to ensure a more consistent, fair and efficient evaluation process. This allows us to better manage applicant data, improve communication, and uphold our commitment to equal opportunity and non-discriminatory practices,” said Ross.