Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – Helena Mayor Brian Puckett executively appointed Cacey O’Farril to be officer in charge of day-to-day operations of the Helena Police Department at a regularly scheduled Helena City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 27 at Helena City Hall.

The appointment comes following the news of the resignation of former Helena Police Chief Brad Flynn, which the council accepted at the meeting.

According to the council, Flynn is retiring from the position after 30 years of service, citing health concerns as a main reason for stepping down in an official Facebook post on Friday, Jan. 24.

Flynn began serving for the Helena Police Department in 1995 and has been the police chief since 2020. He began his career in law enforcement as a reserve deputy in Jefferson County before moving onto Mountain Brook for a little over a year.

During the meeting, Helena City Council member Alice Lobell thanked Flynn for his service, wishing him the best in his future endeavors.

“Chief Flynn is not with us tonight, but we wish him the best and we thank him for all of his years of service to Helena,” Lobell said.

O’Farril has been a member of the Helena Police Department since April 2013. During that time, he has served as a police explorer, a dispatcher and a laborer with the street department, all before becoming a police officer.

He has also served as the training coordinator for the HPD during his time in the role while serving as the B-Days shift supervisor as well. O’Farril recently became the first supervisor in the HPD to complete the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association’s Leadership Trilogy Program.

Following the meeting, Lobell mentioned that the council will begin actively looking for a police chief, but that as of now, O’Farril will begin overseeing operations of the HPD to ensure everything runs smoothly.