WILTON — Police Chief Dennis Brown has resigned to accept a position in Folly Beach, S.C. His last day is March 14.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for him but it was a hard decision,” Town Manager Rhonda Irish said Tuesday afternoon. “He’s enjoyed working for the citizens and living here, but this gets him back closer to his family.”

“He’s really done his best to work for the citizens of the town of Wilton. There’s been a lot of change in the department but he’s continuously worked to make the department better for the townspeople,” she said.

Although he has enjoyed the work, the people and friends he has found in just over four years as police chief in Wilton, Brown said he and his wife, Amanda, who works at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, need to be closer to their families. Brown’s parents have endured medical issues this year that have called him home. In the new position, he’s just over a couple hours from them, he said.

As director of Public Safety for Folly Beach, Brown will oversee several departments including police and fire. The town, one he has spent many summers in, has a population of about 2,500 but that number can swell to more than 50,000 daily visitors, he said. It’s a coastal community southeast of Charleston.

“It’s truly a fantastic job. I’m honored to be chosen to fill that position but it’s bittersweet,” he said.

“Wilton has such good people, those who care and help each other out. I’ve never worked for a community that has been so welcoming. They are friends. This is a good position too.”

Uniting the citizens and the Police Department and working together to solve town issues, he feels has been his best accomplishment during his years here.

Hired during a time when the department was facing several, stressful issues, Brown said residents are now drawn into their daily operation. Citizens serve on department outreach programs, citizen hiring panels, as volunteers in the department and on various committees.

“I’ve done the foundation work. The next chief will take on the next part, putting on the roof,” he said.

The new chief will fill the sergeant’s position and add to the groundwork already started.

“The citizens of Wilton don’t have a lot to give, we’re not a rich community. The officers have tried to do their best with what they could afford to give us,” he said.

The department has become “like a family,” he said.

“I don’t have employees, I have co-workers,” he said.

He credits the Board of Selectmen, former Town Manager Peter Nielsen and the men and women who have worn the department’s uniform during those years for helping to shape the department into what it is now.

The Browns moved north seven years ago for him to take a position in Vermont. They had intentions to remain in New England and are hoping to return to the north and skiing once Brown retires from his career in law enforcement.

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