Walls, Mississippi - Walls Police Chief Chris Sing has resigned and Mayor Gene Alday, who was police chief before being elected mayor, will fill in.

Alday tells The Commercial Appeal that Sing left to pursue a job in the private sector because Walls simply isn't able to pay the type of salary that makes officers want to stay.

Aldy says he expects to hire a new chief after the first of the year.

Sing took over as Walls police chief in 2007 at $22,000 annually.

Sing once oversaw a department with five officers, but his staff had been cut to just one officer due to the town's economic struggles.

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Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.commercialappeal.com