News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Sparta Police Chief Doug Goff officially submitted his resignation for retirement this week.
Goff said he has spent the last three and a half years serving the community as chief and has been with the department since 2006. He said he decided now was the time so he could spend more time with family and get more involved with his church.
“I have been treated very well nd so it was a great honor to be hired into the Sparta city family back in ’06,” Goff said. “And it’s just been a blessing in my life.”
Goff said his biggest piece of advice for the next chief is to lead by example. He said he would never ask his officers to do something he would not do himself.
Additionally, Goff advised to always take others’ opinions into consideration. He said it is not helpful to the department to come in with a “my way or the highway” attitude.
“I think sometimes a chief gets in and they say ‘a wise man will change his mind and a fool never will,'” Goff said. “I’ve seen that some of these younger officers coming out of the academy have a new way of doing things, and there’s always a better way. I think being able to find that person who will fit in here and allow their morals and principles to guide them but be open for new ideas, I’m expecting to find good things for the department.”
Goff’s last day is June 2nd.
