By James Windell
Since a press release from the City of South Haven announced the resignation of the chief of police on February 25, the rumor mills have been busy.
The press release from the city only cites personal family business as the reason for Chief Kevin Swopes’ departure.
However, users of the South Haven Community Chatline on Facebook speculate that the reason Swope resigned was that he was using his South Haven job as a stepping stone to something else. Or that his daughter is a competitive gymnast who couldn’t move to South Haven to continue her practice.
But it is clear that everyone wants to know the reason for his stay as chief lasting just over a month.
Swope replaced Sgt. Patrick Carlotta, who served as interim police chief since the previous Chief of Police, Natalie Thompson, resigned on September 30, 2024. Thompson, who was widely respected, served as police chief from, 2016 until September 2024.
The city of South Haven worked with the Michigan Municipal League to select candidates to replace Thompson and had narrowed the list of viable candidates down to a short list. Swope was selected from that list.
Kevin Swope, who had 26 years of law enforcement experience, was the Chief of Police at the Dearborn Heights Police Department before accepting the South Haven position. Prior to assuming his post in Dearborn Heights, Swope was the Director of Operations in Dearborn Heights. Before joining the Dearborn Heights Police Department, he served as a Police Lieutenant, Police Sergeant, and Patrol Officer at Westland Police Department, and as a Patrol Officer at the Detroit Police Department.
In an interview with the South Haven Beacon just after beginning his job of South Haven Police Chief in early January, 2025, Swope said that he had researched the job and found that he was very impressed with the services and resources in South Haven. “Coming from three different jurisdictions, I could see that South Haven is top notch when it comes to services,” Swope said. “I’m glad I’m part of it now because I’ve never experienced a city that works like this one.”
He and his wife have five children, but it was found in the interview that he is an intensely private person who because of the hazards of being a police officer he did not want to reveal much about himself personally or about his family.
Although Swope did not respond to requests for an interview subsequent to his resignation, a reliable source who wished to remain anonymous said that Swope has elderly parents living in Dearborn, Michigan. Both in their 80s, his father is blind and his mother recently fell and broke her hip. Swope was commuting to work while contemplating a move to South Haven, but the difficulties of caring for his parents and trying to do his job in South Haven led him to the decision.
As before, Sgt. Carlotta has agreed to step in and act as interim police chief while the City goes back to the short list of candidates to try to find a new chief of police.
