The Bibb County School District’s leaders see no conflict in rehiring as its police chief the chief financial officer and senior analyst of a school safety consulting firm that just conducted a safety assessment for the district, according to local news outlets.

The Georgia school district has been under fire for its handling of discipline and crime reporting. Public and media attention to the issue intensified with recent media stories on the consultant firm’s reports.

WMAZ TV in Macon, Georgia, reported last Friday that Russell Bentley, a former chief of police who retired from the school district in 2009, was rehired to head the department on October 1st.

Ed Judie, Deputy Superintendent of the school district, told WMAZ he doesn’t see a conflict in rehiring Bentley. Bentley served as the district’s school police chief from 2001-2009, according to reports, and has recently served as the chief financial officer and senior analyst for the consulting firm that just issued a safety assessment report urging the district to fill the vacant school police chief position.

When asked if Bentley applied for the position or if district leaders approached him about taking over as chief,  WMAZ reports that Judie said, “He must have sought our (sic) the position.”

Back in early August, the district recently decided not to offer another candidate the school police chief’s job due to reports of potential issues in the candidate’s background.

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