Ranburne Town Council names Taylor police chief

Bill Wilson, The Anniston Star, Ala.
·2 min read

Apr. 21—RANBURNE — The Town Council erased the "interim" designation from the job title of police Chief Ian Taylor during a meeting Tuesday night.

Now the town's new chief, Taylor, 32, succeeds longtime police Chief Steve Tucker who died suddenly earlier this month.

Ranburne Mayor Rodney Brown said a formal ceremony will be held in the near future for Taylor to be sworn in.

The council went into an executive session Tuesday for 40 minutes to discuss the chief's position and once the meeting was called back into order the vote to appoint Taylor was unanimous.

Taylor was glad to get the position and was immediately given the task to find another officer to take his place.

"I'm happy I got the job, I hate how I got it but we're going to try to do a good job for the town and get some good applicants in here, hopefully some good officers working here with me, so we can handle everything," said Taylor, who has been a Ranburne police officer for the last three years.

After the meeting the mayor was appreciative of Taylor stepping up to the task of policing the town since Tucker died.

"I think we are very blessed to have Ian here to be able to be promoted to chief, he's done a great job, I appointed him as our interim chief after the passing of Steve," Brown said.

The mayor said he was thankful that other law enforcement agencies helped patrol Ranburne after Tucker's passing.

Heflin police officer Danny Turner — who has been helping patrol Ranburne — was in attendance at the meeting to show support for Taylor.

"With everything that's happened we're all ready, willing and able to assist over here, a lot of the guys that work for the city of Heflin are actually from Ranburne, myself and another officer actually graduated from Ranburne," said Turner, "We don't mind helping out over here even though the other guys that aren't from this area are enthusiastic about coming over here. It's about helping out a neighboring city."

In other business the council heard from Zack Shields, regional planner with the East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission, about the various grants the town could be eligible for to construct a community center and a storm shelter on property owned by the town.

Staff writer Bill Wilson: 256-235-3562. On Twitter @bwilson_star.