Arthur Scott, Trenton’s new police chief, isn’t one for retirement. At the age of 65, he has taken on the leadership of five law enforcement agencies in his 40-year career.

Scott, a native of Dayton, began the top cop job Feb. 4 in Trenton, replacing Tim Traud, a long time Trenton officer and commander, who retired Jan. 31.

The resident of Lebanon began his police career in that city, where he was a patrol officer, detective and sergeant. He served as police chief in Milford for seven years, then five years as Mason Police Department’s chief and seven years as police chief in Beavercreek.

After leaving Beavercreek, Scott retired, but that only lasted a few months. He worked as a bailiff in Warren County Juvenile Court. Then a year later Scott took a job in Afghanistan as an adviser to the deputy minister of interior of the Afghanistan National Police.

That year, Scott said, was an “experience of a lifetime.”

A year of retirement when he returned from overseas in 2010 was enough to convince Scott he just wasn’t ready for a life a leisure.

“I found I didn’t like retirement. I do like being a police chief,” Scott said.

Most recently, Scott served for 10 months as interim police chief in Yellow Springs while that village completed a search for a permanent leader. Scott has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in police administration from UC.

Scott said his role in Trenton will be to develop leaders of the future and share his knowledge of police work.

Trenton City Manager John Jones said Scott’s experience was key in his hiring. Scott was chosen for the job from 20 applicants.

“Chief Scott brings a wealth of experience from multiple departments. He will continue to build on those things that Chief Traud was working on and tackle additional issues,” Jones said. “His background, experiences, time in Afghanistan and his willingness to develop staff are all attractive features. I look forward to watching him move the department forward.”

Scott’s annual salary is $73,708, which does not include a health plan. Traud retired with a salary of $85,675 that included a $15,000 family health insurance plan.

“I don’t see this as a long term job,” Scott said. “But there are no time limits.”

He said he is still learning the operation and the city itself, but he knows some of the department’s policies and procedures need to be updated “a little bit.”

“When you think about coming into a small department, you have a certain impression of what you will find. But I was pleasantly surprised. They do a lot of things right,” Scott said.

When he is not on the job, Scott and his wife, Alice, travel and spend time with their three grown children and four grandchildren.