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Statesboro Police Chief Mike Broadhead to retire July 1
No timetable set yet to find replacement
Mike Broadhead
Back in April 2017, then Georgia Southern public administration graduate student Justin Williams, left, talks with recently hired Statesboro Police Chief Mike Broadhead, center, and then City Councilman Sam Lee Jones at a City Council budget workshop. - photo by AL HACKLE/Herald file

After more than nine years on the job, the city of Statesboro announced Friday that Police Chief Mike Broadhead is retiring – effective July 1. Broadhead’s law enforcement career spans more than 40 years.

According to a release from the city, no timeline has been set for a search for Broadhead’s successor.

Broadhead, 60, arrived in Statesboro in April 2017 after serving seven years as the chief of police in Riverton, Wyoming. His career began in 1984 as a military police officer in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, he spent 22 years with the police department in Littleton, Colorado, where he rose through the ranks from patrol officer to lieutenant.

Throughout his time in Statesboro, Broadhead emphasized a community-first policing philosophy, a release from the city stated. Under his direction, according to the release, the department increased its public outreach, regularly hosting local events designed to foster direct interaction between officers and residents.

"In my opinion, he has done an outstanding job as police chief," said Statesboro City Manager Charles Penny. "He has navigated some tumultuous times and has handled them in a professional manner. He guided the department through the Black Lives Matter period, and I am thankful we had a chief who never shied away from tough conversations and was always accessible to our community members."

During his time at SPD, Broadhead focused on stabilizing the department’s turnover rate. While the department previously faced significant staffing challenges, including as many as 18 vacancies at one point, the agency s reached full staffing levels during his tenure.

"Today, we have virtually no vacancies in the department,” said Penny. “It is because of his steady leadership, professionalism, and advocacy for his employees that we have a thriving, well-managed police department."

Mike Broadhead
Back in July 2024, Statesboro Police Chief Mike Broadhead joins a chess match during Holiday Pizza Chess Night, one of the community events he started as a way to connect with more people in a non-enforcement setting. - photo by SCOTT BRYANT/file

Before his career in municipal police work, Broadhead served from age 18 in the U.S. Army as a military police officer. He has a master’s degree in public administration from American Public University and a graduate certificate from the School for Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University.

Back in 2017, Broadhead told the Statesboro Herald about why he decided to come to Statesboro and lead the police department.

“Everywhere I went I made a real effort to talk to people and find out what the community is about and why do people live there, and I found the entire community to be incredibly pleasant,” Broadhead said. “People smile and wave at each other, and it really was a very friendly atmosphere. I was really pleased to see that.

“It’s just an exciting opportunity for me to come and really work with these officers and the rest of the staff there to really make sure that the police department is maximizing its positive impacts on the community.”

Broadhead and his wife Kristen have two sons, Jack and Cole.