Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jack Lumpkin will be taking over Savannah and Chatham County's merged police department Nov. 9, according to Connect Savannah.

Lumpkin was named a finalist for the job Sept. 12. He told Flagpole that he's retiring as ACC police chief after 17 years so that he can put his grandchildren through college by drawing a pension while also working at another law enforcement job.

Savannah City Manager Stephanie Cutter cited Lumpkin's record of reducing crime in Athens by 40 percent, as well as his experience running a unified city-county police department.

He'll have to rebuild a scandal-plagued department that recently saw its former chief indicted on federal gambling and extortion charges. Chief Willie Lovett retired a year ago in the wake of a sexual harrassment complaint.