Fairhope police chief resigns

FAIRHOPE, ala. (WALA) - Fairhope’s police chief announced his resignation Wednesday.

Police Chief Bill Press and Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant have publicly disagreed on a number of issues.

 Tuesday evening, Press sent a resignation letter to the mayor effective November 5.

 During an interview with FOX10 Wednesday, Press said, "I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot about the politics that is involved here."

 Press said he knew his days were numbered when new council members were elected.

 He said, "We needed to make sure that this organization stays as stable as it possibly can be, until such time as they bring in someone better than I was."

 Press and Kant disagreed on some enforcement ideas.

Press said, "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get along. I had two strikes against me. From the day I got here, I was considered an outsider, and that's not what the mayor wanted."

 One disagreement: Press thought police officers should not provide funeral escorts because officers could utilize their time better.

 Mayor Kant said at the time, he didn't know the chief was going to stop the practice.

 Press said he didn’t feel as though he was insubordinate to the mayor.

 Press said, "Absolutely not. In fact, like I said, first of all, I didn't report directly to the mayor. I reported to the city administrator, which was what I was told to do, and that's what I did."

 But, Press said he's proud of accomplishments he's made.

 He said, "We introduced great hiring practices and promotional practices.  Again, through rumor, that's going to all go down the drain. But, it was basically a very thorough process."

As for leaving, Press said, "I would have liked to have stayed under different circumstances, absolutely. But, now is the time to leave."