ANNISTON, AL (February 3, 2021) – Southern States Bank is pleased to welcome John McEachern as Executive Vice President, Corporate Security Officer.  John will be responsible for managing and enforcing the bank’s security policy and procedures.

John joins Southern States Bank with over 40 years in law enforcement.  He began his law enforcement career in 1974 with the Opelika Police Department where he served in the Patrol and Detective Divisions until 1988.  In August 1988, he accepted an appointment as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) where he served in the Pittsburg, PA, Los Angeles, CA and Mobile, AL Divisions.  From 1996 until 2006, he served as Supervisor over the Los Angeles Division Bank Robbery squad.  In April 2013, he was appointed Chief of Police at the Opelika Police Department until his retirement in November 2020.

“We are excited and honored John has come out of retirement and joined our team,” said Steve Whatley, Chairman and CEO for Southern States Bank.  “With John’s extensive security and law enforcement background, we can rest assured we are practicing safe and sound security procedures bank wide.”