COBB COUNTY - Cobb Police Chief George Hatfield confirmed he will retire next Friday, and although his replacement has not yet been chosen, county officials said the department would be in capable hands.

Until a new police chief is hired, Cobb Public Safety Director Mickey Lloyd will serve as interim chief, and Deputy Chief John Houser and Deputy Chief Ron Storey will handle many of the day-to-day duties, County Manager David Hankerson said. Houser, who heads the uniform side of the department and Storey, manager of the department's detective operations, are the only two applicants for the chief position who are being considered, Hankerson said. A total of three applications were received, but the third did not meet the county's minimum requirements for the position, spokesman Robert Quigley said.

The internal search ended on April 2 and Hankerson said he expects a decision to be made in the next 30 to 45 days, if not sooner.

"Typically, we would appoint one of the deputy chiefs to be interim police chief, but both of them applied for the position so I didn't think it would be fair to do that," Hankerson said. "I really don't think this phase will be a big disruption for the department at all. If I did, I would say things need to move much quicker, and even though we have to have a chief, these guys have been here so long and Mickey works so closely with them already, I have no doubt things will be fine."

Lloyd, who retired as deputy chief for the Atlanta Police Department after 29 years of service in 2000 before joining the county as public safety director in 2003, said he would work closely with Hankerson during the interview process. Once they decide whom they think should be promoted, Hankerson will then make a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners for final approval, Lloyd said.

Hatfield said he probably will not be involved in the decision-making process and has not given a recommendation to Lloyd or Hankerson.

Houser has been with the county since 1981 and Storey has been with Cobb since 1986, Hatfield said, and both have filled in for Hatfield when he has been away.

"I think filling positions internally is the way to go. If you can have an internal search with qualified staff, they know the beat, know the people, and there's a short learning curve," Hatfield said. "Both of these candidates are extremely qualified. They've been here a long, long time. They're both very knowledgeable and both could do the job."

Hankerson said he will decide at a later date whether he will promote someone in the department to the open police chief position once Houser or Storey takes over as chief, or simply operate with one chief deputy.

"Chief of police is a very, very important position and I hope we fill it as soon as we can, but we've got guys in there who know what they're doing and we'll all be in good hands," Lloyd said.