ETOWAH, Tenn. - Etowah City Manager Matthew Gravley said today that Eric Armstrong of Etowah has accepted the post of city police chief effective immediately.

"Eric will use his experience and training to get the most good out of our small department for the benefit of the citizens of Etowah," Gravley said in a news release.

Armstrong is a 1992 graduate of the Cleveland State Community College Law Enforcement Academy. He then served in the Etowah Police Department, followed by several years with the McMinn County Sheriff's Office and Decatur Police Department.

He returned to the Etowah police force in 2002 and attended law enforcement management and administration training at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2009.

There were five applicants interviewed for the position.

For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.