Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield has named Deputy Chief Mark Rawlston as interim Police Chief.
Chief Rawlston replaces former Chief Freeman Cooper, who retired Wednesday after the city council voted 6-2 against offering him a contract after his retirement.
“(Rawlston’s) experience and leadership has been exceptional and he formed a leadership team that made my interim appointment seamless,” Mayor Littlefield said in a press release.
In the same release, Chief Rawlston said he and the mayor “have a unique opportunity to begin discussing the merits of a consolidated City/County police force and I look forward to working on behalf of the police officers towards that goal.”
According to city charter the mayor has 90 days to fill the interim position with a permanent choice, which must be approved by the city council.