Peachtree City’s new police chief will be on duty starting April 14, and he’s already picked out an apartment in the city while his family wraps up loose ends at their Florida home.

H.C. “Skip” Clark said one of his first goals is to get to know the community and become a part of it. Also, he plans to spend some time evaluating the department.

Any change for the department, he said, would be incremental in nature and would take into account the needs of the department, the City Council and the community at large, Clark said.

“Sometimes people say they want change, but it has to be incremental,” Clark said.

Clark was hired by the Peachtree City Council in a unanimous vote last Thursday. He succeeds James Murray, who served as chief since 1989 and retired under pressure Jan. 1 this year.

With his family remaining in Florida for now before moving up here, Clark said that gives him time to really dive into his role as Peachtree City’s chief so he can get up to speed on issues. It will also give his family time to house-shop, with high schools being a particular interest for his twin 12-year-old daughters.

Clark said he has heard good things about Starr’s Mill and McIntosh high schools, which serve Peachtree City residents.

Clark said the overwhelming majority of local residents he’s been in contact with have been very hospitable and welcoming, and he’s looking forward to the job and being a member of the community. That, he added, is not just a professional goal but a personal one as well.

In fact, he’ll be enjoying the area over spring break by taking his family for a trip to the Atlanta area to visit the Georgia Aquarium, a trip planned some time ago. Clark previously had said that he has a number of family and friends living in the metro Atlanta area, another reason spurring him to accept the position in Peachtree City.

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