Buskirk was hired as the town's youngest police officer four years ago, Hancock Mayor Daniel Murphy said. He since has worked as a K-9 officer, and was the prime candidate for the chief position shortly after McCarty announced his resignation, Murphy said.
McCarty, 46, was named chief of police in June 2005. He announced his resignation in April after less than a year on the job.
"We had hoped he would be here for a longer period of time, but we knew when we hired him about his devotion to his ministry," Murphy said.
McCarty, who has been in law enforcement for more than 20 years, will become an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church on June 10. McCarty said after his ordination, he will serve at a church in Braddock Heights, Md.
McCarty also is taking an entry-level deputy position with the Washington County Sheriff's Department. McCarty also is a retired Maryland State Police officer.
McCarty said he starts his new job Monday.
"It's not about giving up power," McCarty said. "It's a matter of devoting more time to my family and ministry. The time commitment, it's overbearing sometimes."
McCarty currently is the lay associate at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hancock.
As a result of Buskirk's promotion and McCarty's departure, the Hancock Police Department will be down an officer, Murphy said.
The town currently has four police officers - three full-time and one part-time. In addition to hiring a full-time officer to replace Buskirk, Murphy said the town would like to hire an additional part-time officer, bringing the total number of officers to five.
