McComb Police Chief Juan Cloy is resigning his position effective June 16.
He presented a letter to the city board and Mayor Quodiniah Lockley announced it after an executive session Tuesday night in City Hall.
Cloy said he felt it was time for him to retire but hinted he had other plans down the road.
Cloy was named police chief in a special meeting May 16, 2023. He took office June 1 of that year.
Cloy has more than 30 years of service in law enforcement that includes 16 years with the Jackson police force, 10 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigations and three years as the assistant police chief in Canton.
Cloy earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology from Jackson State University, according to his resume.
Earlier in the meeting Cloy announced he had four new hires for the McComb police squad, bringing the number of staff members to 26 and leaving the city with four vacancies.
In February, Cloy added Earnest Perry as the assistant police chief in his rebuilding of the force effort.
Perry said after the meeting he was unsure if he would apply for the chief’s job.
Cloy’s resignation is the third resignation of city leaders in less than a month, with City Administrator David Myers leaving the city Tuesday in what he called an overdue retirement.
Also City Attorney Marcus Williams is leaving the city June 16.
Additionally, the city has still not filled the long-vacant city clerk position.
During his tenure, Cloy set up what he called “pop up parties” for various neighborhoods around the city such as the one in April at the White Acres housing complex where there was a chance for residents to get to know police officers in a setting that included food, music and games.
The parties were part of Cloy’s policing philosophy that included giving kids the chance to have something to do.
“Interest and engagement are the keys to addressing the juvenile crime problem,” he said to the board shortly before some members voted to hire him in May of 2023. “Kids don’t start out wanting to hurt each other. They get into trouble when they don’t have things to do. There are a number of ways to approach the problem, like taking part of my budget to hold block parties
