A “sexting” scandal leads to a shakeup in the Burns Police Department. Last week Chief Tase Sturgill spoke exclusively with Fox 17 News about the explicit text messages that led to his resignation. Tonight city leaders discussed who will lead the police department. Monday night Paul McCallister was sworn in as the new Police Chief of Burns.

"It’s been a dream of mine to be a police chief and go back into law enforcement," said Paul McCallister.

McAllister is a former Dickson Police officer and is retiring from the National Guard. He is replacing former Chief Tase Strugill who resigned last week after admitting to sending sexually explicit text messages to a woman over his city owned cell phone.

"I am deeply, deeply sorry for the way I have let people down," said the former Police Chief.

Strugill spoke exclusively to Fox 17 News saying he resigned to spare the city and his family further embarrassment.

"The hardest thing I've ever had to do is tell my wife this and to live with the shame and the guilt that I've let not only my family down but a whole city down,” added Strugill.

But McCallister’s appoint has not come without controversy. Some Commissioners wanted to consider more applicants including Burns Police Sargent Vance Bowker.

“I think we should have took applications from others interested in it. It’s a main hire and I thought we kind of done it a little too fast,” said council member Chris Holland.

Even though McCallister is a former Dickson Police Officer he has been off the force for years and will have to be re-certified and trained at a cost of nearly two thousand dollars.

“Isn't it pretty stupid to appoint somebody who is not certified. Not a certified policemen,” added Holland.

"He's been an officer before. He's fixing to be re certified. We won't have a problem," said Bill Allen another council member.City of Burns Names New Chief of Police