Police chief in Gastonia the latest in Charlotte area to announce retirement

The police chief of Gastonia announced his retirement Tuesday, the latest departure of a top law enforcement official in the Charlotte area.

Gastonia Police Chief Travis Brittain will retire Jan. 1 after 28 years of service, the past two years as head of the department, according to a city news release.

Brittain, a Gastonia native, joined the department’s explorer program at 15 and was hired as an officer in 1994, the release said.

Police chiefs in Matthews, Davidson and Waxhaw have announced their retirements within the past two months:

▪ Clark Pennington resigned as Matthews police chief at the end of August. Kenneth Williams, a retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police official, took over as interim chief on Sept. 12.

▪ Davidson’s chief, Penny Dunn, announced her retirement on Sept. 13. She will leave the department at the end of January.

▪ Chief Michael Eiss of the Waxhaw Police Department in Union County announced his retirement on Sept. 2, effective Oct. 1.

This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 5:41 PM.

Kallie Cox

The Charlotte Observer

Kallie Cox covers public safety for The Charlotte Observer. They grew up in Springfield, Illinois and attended school at SIU Carbondale. They reported on police accountability and LGBTQ immigration barriers for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. And, they previously worked at The Southern Illinoisan before moving to Charlotte. Support my work with a digital subscription