A long-time Kimberly police officer has stepped up to fill the department’s top position.

The city appointed Bill Isbell as police chief on Jan. 1, following the retirement of former chief James Belding.

Isbell has served with the Kimberly Police Department for 14 years, and has worked in law enforcement a total of 25 years. It is his second time to be a police chief; he was chief of the Good Hope Police Department in Cullman County in 1993.

He has also worked for the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and the Morris Police Department.

“I just hope I can do a good job for the town and the citizens,” Isbell said, adding that he is not planning to make any major changes within the department.

The city employs four full-time and four part-time officers, including Isbell. All dispatching for Kimberly is done through the city of Warrior.

With three schools in the city limits to patrol — Mortimer Jordan High, North Jefferson Middle and Bryan Elementary — the police department stays busy. Isbell said Kimberly officers also closely watch all subdivisions in the city.

Isbell said he will be a “working chief,” meaning he will work a shift and will help patrol neighborhoods and write reports like all other officers.

“I just want everybody to work together and we won’t have any problems,” he said.

Isbell said he wants to continue the good relationship his department has with the police departments in Warrior and Morris, and he also wants to continue working closely with the Kimberly Fire Department.

“We’re all on the same page,” he said. “We’re all here to do one thing — help the people.”