In a brief but community-oriented celebration that produced both laughter and tears, the City of Tybee Island honored retired Police Chief Robert Bryson and welcomed Tiffany Wall Hayes with applause as she was sworn in as the first female chief of the Tybee Police Department.
Hayes, one of those rare Tybee Island natives, started as a dispatcher with the department when she was 18 years old. Four years later, she became a certified officer. From there, she worked her way up from patrol to investigations and helped established the department’s 9-1-1 center. In 2021, she graduated from the FBI National Academy. Hayes became the first assistant police chief for the department, and in December 2022, she served as interim police chief after Bryson announced his retirement after 12 years on the job.
In her welcoming remarks, Tybee Mayor Shirley Sessions said, “I think Tiffany not only talks the talk, she walks the walk … She knows Tybee. She knows its history. She knows our needs. She knows our challenges. And… nobody can tell the story of the police department quite like Tiffany can.
“She’s seen things, she’s heard things, her positive attitude, and her spirit, her patience, her coolness under pressure is exactly what we need for someone to take us to the next level, and to continue a vision that our former police chief and the staff and the officers started.”
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According to demographic analysis by zippia.com, fewer than 9% of the nation’s nearly 3,700 chiefs of police are women. Among Chatham County’s municipalities, Hayes is the second woman to serve in the top spot . Julie Tolbert was appointed interim police chief of the Savannah-Chatham Police Department in 2013 after Willie Lovett’s abrupt departure.
“Every day is a good day on Tybee. This is a great day,” said Tybee City Manager Shawn Gillen in his closing remarks. “And I just want to say thank you, Tiffany, for accepting this role. And I hope I can live up to the challenge of supporting you in this job. There’s only one guarantee. There will be challenges every day. And I am very confident that you are going to live up to those challenges and make us proud.”
Amy Paige Condon is a local editor and content coach for Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at ACondon@gannett.com.