Taylor's Top Cop Making Local History

TAYLOR (WWJ) - Taylor's new police chief is making local history. Former Commander Mary Schlabassi is the first woman to fill the post. She's also first female Chief of Police in the entire Downriver area.

But, Taylor's new top cop will have a lot more on her mind than that. Outgoing Police Chief Dale Tamsen says one of Chief Sclabassi's major challenges will be the budget. The department has seen it's staff cut about 30 percent in recent years.

"We are down to 69 officers; we used to be 106 officers so there has been a big decrease there. We are hoping to eventually get back up to 86 officers," said Tamsen.

"I told her ... you can call anytime, night or day," said Tamsen.

The former Taylor police chief is retiring a year early, he says, to spend more time with his family.