JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) – A southern Indiana mayor has demoted the city's police chief and replaced him with a 21-year department veteran.

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore on Monday demoted Chief Chris Grimm, who had served as police chief of the Ohio River community since January 2012. Grimm will remain with the department as a lieutenant. Moore appointed Kenny Kavanaugh the city's new police chief.

The mayor says in a news release that the changes signal a “new direction in the police department'' but did not explain why he made the moves.

Grimm tells The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky his demotion was “a total shock'' after more than three years as chief.

The News and Tribune reports the department shuffle came three months after officers and staff moved into a new $11 million police station.