Athens-Clarke County on Thursday fired its chief of police after he served in that position for just three years.

Athens Mayor Nancy Denson confirmed that Scott Freeman had been terminated earlier in the day by County Manager Blaine Williams, but she did not know all of the specifics.

Denson acknowledged that the police department was experiencing a high turnover rate because officers were unhappy with Freeman’s leadership.

“I wasn’t surprised that he was let go because I know there were several issues,” Denson said. “Evidently he wasn’t a good fit for Athens."

The mayor also said, “Chief Freeman is a good man and I wish him well."

Williams, the county manager who is responsible for hiring and firing department heads, was not immediately available for comment Thursday evening.

At about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Freeman posted on his Facebook page the news he no longer was chief. “Left job at Athens-Clarke County Police Department," he wrote.

Freeman was chief deputy of the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office when he was hired in July 2015 to run the police department in Athens. He undertook several initiatives, such as the creation of a Gang Suppression Unit, and he placed great emphasis on community engagement by members of the department and also public relations by maintaining an active department Facebook page.