RICH SQUARE – Veteran law enforcement officer Alan “Bo-Bo” Roye has resigned after a 14-year tenure as Rich Square Police Chief.

During a telephone interview on Thursday, town Mayor Doris Risper confirmed the news of the Chief’s decision.

“Chief Roye has resigned effective October 31st,” Risper said.

The Rich Square Town Council met in special session on Oct. 9 and sometime after that the Chief is said to have informed the town of his decision to leave his post.

“We appreciate all he brought in,” Risper said. “He did a lot of good for the town of Rich Square.”

When asked if the Chief’s position would be advertised, Risper said it would not.  However, she did not answer when asked about police personnel for the town after Oct. 31.

It is known that Kevin Byrd is a full-time officer with the Rich Square Police Department while Northampton County Sheriff’s Deputy Altessie Taylor serves in a part-time role. The future status of both officers, as it pertains to the Rich Square PD, remains in question after Risper chose not to comment.

Speaking earlier in the day during her lunch break, Risper said she would speak further with the News-Herald at a later time Thursday, but efforts to reach her for other comment later in the day were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Roye stated he is leaving the Rich Square Police Department with no regrets.

“I’ve spent 26 years in law enforcement, and the last 14 of those here in Rich Square have been my most enjoyable,” said Roye. “I have thoroughly enjoyed serving this town and its people. I will miss the people here.”

When asked the reasoning behind his decision to resign, Roye said, “Due to a better opportunity in law enforcement.”

Prior to his job as Rich Square Police Chief, Roye spent two years in Kosovo (formerly a part of Yugoslavia) as a civilian police officer attached with the United Nations following an ethnic war there in 1999 between the Albanian and Serb populations.

Roye launched his law enforcement career with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, working there for 12 years.

(Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald Editor Cal Bryant contributed to this story.)