Longtime Winchester, Tenn., police Chief Dennis Young died suddenly early Sunday.
A Jonesboro, Ark., native, the 58-year-old chief was widely known for his campaigns locally and across the state against illegal drug use, particularly his efforts in recent years to stem methamphetamine production and opioid abuse.
Young had worked for Winchester since 2001, first as chief over the public safety department that then consisted of both the fire and police departments, and then as police chief, Winchester city recorder Teena Waggoner said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the chief’s family and our law enforcement family,” Waggoner said Monday.
Dennis YoungLongtime friend, fellow Tennessee Volunteers fan and law enforcement colleague Franklin County Sheriff Tim Fuller said he and Young were “old school” and had become friends years ago when Fuller was a young investigator for the sheriff’s department and Young was chief in Estill Springs, Tenn.