Board Votes to Fire Moss Point Police Chief

The City of Moss Point is in search of a new police chief. The board of aldermen decided to fire already suspended Police Chief Art McClung.
News 25’s Kenda Turley shows us the reaction from both residents and city officials.
Mixed emotions throughout the City of Moss Point after the board of aldermen make a decision to fire already suspended Police Chief Art McClung. Moss Point resident Ricky Watjus was in favor of the termination. He said, “I’m not happy that it happened because it never should have happened in the first place, but it was the right decision.”
Moss Point resident James Stokes is against the termination. He said, “His good is better than his bad. He made a mistake in life. Everybody makes mistakes in life.”
The board’s 5-1 vote to terminate McClung came after an executive session where McClung described his version of the July 29th traffic stop that landed him in hot water. Moss Point Mayor Billy Broomfield said, “I don’t have any feelings. The board does the hiring and firing under this form of government. That’s what they do.”
McClung was suspended without pay ever since dash cam video surfaced of Pascagoula police pulling him over for allegedly driving over 100 miles per hour while intoxicated. This is a situation many residents say a police chief should never be in. “He messed up and he knows he messed up. Maybe he’ll do the right thing and resign to go ahead and protect his future,” said Watjus.
McClung has until Tuesday to resign as the police chief before he is officially terminated. Ward 4 Board of Aldermen member Shirley Chambers said, “The man has a family. He’s done a great job in this city as far as I’m concerned. I think everybody deserves a second chance.”
Assistant Police Chief Brandon Ashley will serve as the interim chief until the board hires a permanent replacement. “You can’t just pick up an officer because he’s a police officer and put him in the position of a chief. They’ve got to be qualified,” said Chambers.