Chester Police Chief Tammy Levister resigns - was town’s first woman chief

Tammy Levister, the first woman police chief in Chester, has abruptly resigned, officials in Chester said.

The reason remains unclear.

Levister had been chief since 2015 and had been with the department for 15 years. Chester City Councilman William “Ike” McBrayer confirmed that Levister resigned late Friday. Capt. Travis Moore is in charge of the department until a successor can be named, McBrayer said.

“Public safety is being handled,” McBrayer said. “People in the police department are running it fine. What we have now is a vacancy to fill, a department head to hire.”

The resignation of Levister was “unexpected,” McBrayer said, but he declined to comment further saying it is a personnel matter for the city. The resignation was so sudden that the issue could not be put on Monday night’s Chester City Council agenda, McBrayer said, but he expects city leaders to hold a special meeting in the coming days to address the police chief position.

A Chester Police Department spokesperson referred all calls about Levister’s resignation to the city’s human resources department. Chester human resources department confirmed the resignation but declined further comment.

The department has 27 officers, according to the city’s Web site. The department serves a population of about 5,500 residents.

Chester’s police department handles calls in the city of Chester while the Chester County Sheriff’s Office handles calls outside the city. The sheriff’s office has not been asked to assist with any duties after the resignation, said Robert Sprouse, chief deputy.

Levister was named chief in 2015 after former chief Andre Williams resigned to take the security director’s job at the Chester County school district. She was first named interim chief after a search was in place and council members had interviewed finalists including Levister, but the other candidates withdrew from consideration.

This story was originally published February 14, 2017 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Chester Police Chief Tammy Levister resigns - was town’s first woman chief."