HINESVILLE, Ga. (Mar. 1, 2018) – At the regularly scheduled Hinesville City Council Meeting on Thursday, Mayor Allen Brown and Council named Major Bill Kirkendall the Interim Chief of the Hinesville Police Department following the retirement of Police Chief George Stagmeier.
“Major Kirkendall has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout his career with the HPD and I am confident that his appointment to this interim role will allow the police department to remain functioning in the above superior manner that it has garnered a reputation for,” said Hinesville City Manager Kenneth Howard.
Kirkendall has been with the HPD for more than 27 years, having been hired in 1990. He has served as a field training officer, DARE officer, drug team investigator, assistant commander, administrative support corporal, traffic accident investigation commander, internal affairs investigator and uniform patrol division commander.
Kirkendall has received over 2,800 hours of advanced law enforcement training throughout the course of his career and has served as the president of the Georgia Police Accreditation Coalition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public safety from Mercer University and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Savannah Technical College.
Kirkendall was receive a salary increase to reflect his new position. He wil be paid $89,341.
Hinesville City Manager Kenneth Howard also announced the promotion of former Deputy Court Clerk Malissa Oberlander to Court Administrator. Oberlander has been with the City of Hinesville for over 17 years.
“After the retirement of former Court Administrator Mary Dowd, I conducted an external and realized that we had the talent right here in-house to fill the position,” said Howard. “Malissa has done a wonderful job as Deputy Court Clerk in her time with the City and no one deserves this promotion more than her.”
The promotion also comes with some restructuring to the department. Previously, the court administrator was responsible for managing the clerk’s office and probation services. After eliminating one of the three deputy clerk positions through Oberlander’s promotion, Howard appointed Hinesville Police Department Captain Stella Sturla to assume management of probation services.
“By separating the management duties out, it allows for maximum efficiency in both departments,” explained Howard.