Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin announced his retirement late Monday afternoon.

Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin announced his retirement Monday afternoon.

In a statement released around 4:50 p.m., McCubbin said:

“After much consideration, meeting with the mayor, and those closest to me, I have made the decision to retire as the Chief of Police of the Bardstown Police Department. As you are aware the past events and restructuring of our department has caused much attention as I have stated that I did not agree with the direction that has been published in a directive by the mayor. I am aware that the mayor has the full authority to do this and in order to allow this to happen I will retire and remove myself as a distraction.

“The Mayor did not ask me to retire, but to actually reconsider my decision. I have, however, made that decision. I have been approached in the past with opportunities and have, like any police officer with almost 29 years, tossed around retirement. With the impending changes my time has come. Since this is the direction the department is headed I will respectfully and professionally make room so that can happen.

“I want to thank the most dedicated, professional officers that I have worked with and they allowed me to be called their chief; the men and women of BPD. I have asked them to persevere, remain relentless, and do what is right for the citizens of Bardstown. Secondly, to the citizens of Bardstown who accepted me five years ago as their chief and I hope that I have not disappointed those whom we serve.

“As well, Former Mayors Heaton and Sheckles, who, in the transition of one mayor leaving office and another coming in, gave me the opportunity to (be) your chief. And lastly to Mayor Royalty who allowed me to remain chief for sixteen months of his administration.

This, my friends, has been an honor.

May our paths cross again.

Your chief, Rick McCubbin”

McCubbin said he would not be providing additional comments besides the statement.

McCubbin’s retirement becomes effective May 31.

McCubbin’s resignation as chief of police came weeks after Bardstown Mayor John Royalty unilaterally demoted two of McCubbin’s command staff and promoted two others, one of which is a personal friend of the mayor’s.

Less than an hour before McCubbin released his statement, he told the mayor about his decision. Royalty said in a phone interview soon afterward that he tried to talk him out of quitting.

“I did not want to lose him,” the mayor said. “It was his choice, not mine.”

Royalty said he and McCubbin will remain “good friends,” and “we’ll move on.”

“Things change. Look at the Fire Department. It was a bed of cactus and thorns, and it has blossomed like a flower,” Royalty said.

Royalty said McCubbin had already been looking at other employment before his decision to restructure the Bardstown Police Department, including the position of state police commissioner.

He said Detective McKenzie Mattingly would be interim chief, but he will not appoint him chief of police. Rather, he will hire someone from outside the department. He said he has already had interest from qualified policemen he knows in Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green.

Mattingly was one of the two officers the mayor promoted without consulting McCubbin.

There was strong reaction to the announcement from many in Bardstown.

Councilwoman Kecia Copeland, who had started to ask McCubbin during last week’s Bardstown City Council meeting whether he favored the restructuring but was interrupted by Royalty, who said he wouldn’t allow it, said Monday night she was “utterly lost for words” over McCubbin’s resignation.

She said McCubbin was one of the greatest police chiefs in the state and blamed the mayor for his departure. McCubbin was named 2015 Kentucky Police Chief of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police. She said Royalty made “a repulsive, irresponsible and calculated decision” that would have “a devastating impact” on the community.

McCubbin has been with the Bardstown Police Department for just more than five years. He also served 15 years with the former Louisville Police Department and eight years with the U.S. Marshals Service.

While the mayor’s decision that precipitated McCubbin’s announcement was made at the end of March, it was only in the past week that the information became widely known both by the public and the officers in the department.

Email correspondence between McCubbin and Royalty released Friday in response to an open records request by The Kentucky Standard revealed that McCubbin was blindsided by the mayor’s decision to promote Mattingly to assistant chief and Patrolman Brad Gillock to lieutenant.

Royalty’s “restructuring” of the department involved demoting Capt. Tom Roby, a 27-year veteran of the department who had planned to retire later this summer, to patrolman. Royalty also demoted Chris Brandon from lieutenant to patrolman.

McCubbin was recovering from surgery when he received Royalty’s directive on March 29.

McCubbin pleaded with the mayor to reconsider in an email reply on April 4, in which he wrote that he had been trying to reach the mayor to no avail.

“I am respectfully asking you to rescind your email directive dated Tuesday, March 29, 2016, until such a time that you and I can discuss the ramification of this directive,” McCubbin wrote. “To say a ‘shit storm’ will be created by this directive is putting it mildly.”

McCubbin also took issue with the mayor’s lack of communication to the chief, stating “It is obvious that my position is invalid and unnecessary due to others having your ear and completely removing me as the department head.”

Editor Forrest Berkshire also contributed to this story.