We heard something heartening this week. Benji Sease’s interim position as police chief of Prosperity may not be so interim after all.

Sease is well-liked and well-respected in the community, with good reason. He is an excellent investigator and “people person.” Prosperity does not necessarily need someone who can bench-press 250 pounds, but it does need a leader in its police department and that is the kind of work that Sease can definitely shoulder.

Town leaders and Sease are working together to try and find a way to keep Sease on as leader of the town’s police department. Sease announced his medical retirement in 2007, after being injured on the job about two years before. He has continued to work at regaining better health. Yes, Sease is on limited duty due to his disability status, but the town is also regaining something, a wonderful asset to its public safety.

For one, Sease’s devotion to the town is obvious. Not many would jeopardize their future health and a certain income to jump into a gap and bolster up a struggling situation. With one full-time officer on light duty, the other full-time officer brand new to the job and a police chief recently dismissed and accused of theft from the evidence locker, Sease has his managerial plate full. But we have confidence he is up to the job.

In addition, we take comfort from the confidence that town leaders are showing in Sease. The town’s council and mayor are grateful for Sease’s willingness to help and eager to find a solution that can enable the former chief to take the position again. For Prosperity, that’s some very good news indeed.