HOPEWELL, Va. -- A Facebook post on Saturday afternoon is how many in Hopewell found out that Hopewell Police Chief A.J. Starke would be retiring in April.
It was an announcement that took many by surprise, leaving some community members concerned for their safety and angered by the timing.
"He made a lot of promises and he really talked a really good game and I really thought he was in for the long haul for Hopewell to help this city but now I feel betrayed," Melissa Taylor, one Hopewell resident, said.
Taylor isn't alone in her sentiments.
"Kind of makes those statements hollow," Randy Sealey, a Hopewell home and business owner, said.
Sealey said recent losses of officers within the police department had left him concerned about the chief.
"We can't afford to lose any more officers and our hope is that we find a good, strong chief. Get him hired and he will attract new officers to the city," Sealey said.
Starke with the interim police chief for Hopewell for six months when he permanently got the job. He shared the following in his weekend Facebook post.
"I gained immediate respect for the men and women serving in the agency and the citizens that have lived in Hopewell their entire life. My mindset shifted and I wanted to be a part of Hopewell’s future. Along the way, I was afforded the opportunity to be named chief," Starke wrote.
However, Taylor said his retirement is leaving her and other community members feeling on edge.
"I feel like he failed everyone. He should be ashamed. My son doesn't feel safe. We just had a shooting across the street. I can't even get him to go outside anymore. His childhood is being stripped from him and as a mother, that really ticks me off," Taylor said.
"We also have to depend on city council to pay these people what they deserve because they deserve pay raises. It's tough around here," Sealey said.
"This city is really in trouble. Who are they going to get next? Are they going to get somebody just as desperate to retire again? What are they going to do? Where are they going to pull somebody from now? We're in trouble," Taylor said.
CBS 6 reached out to Hopewell Police to try and speak with Starke about his decision to resign, but we were told that Starke is out of the office for the week.
Hopewell Mayor Johnny Partin said he is confident that the chief's retirement will not affect safety initiatives that are already in place.
"Hopewell's Police Department in conjunction with regional, state and federal law enforcement agencies are continuing to work together to reduce crime and improve public safety in our community. Our interim city manager is working on a transition plan," Partin said.
