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Roper steps down as Police Chief

Police Chief Michael Roper retires

Bessemer Police Chief Michael Roper retired on September 30, 2022, after serving for five years as the Marvel City’s Police Chief.

Roper, 63, joined the Bessemer Police Department in August 1990 and rose through the ranks to become the city’s first Deputy Police Chief in 2012. He became Police Chief in 2017. Roper told AL.com that he had spent more than half of his life serving the residents of Bessemer.

“It was a very hard decision,’’ Roper told AL.com. “I’ve done this for so long and I’ve always had a passion about my job. It took me close to a year to make up mind, up until the last minute.”

Mayor Kenneth Gulley announced that Captain Michael Wood will serve as the city of Bessemer’s Acting Police Chief until a permanent police chief is named. 

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