RICHLANDS, N.C. (AP) -- The police chief of a North Carolina town has been prohibited from carrying a badge and gun because he couldn't shoot straight.

Police Chief Thomas Bennett was suspended as a law enforcement officer after failing his recent annual firearms qualification exam.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reports (http://bit.ly/HxsaeC ) that Bennett has been police chief in Richlands, near the Atlantic coast, since 1999 and plans to retire in July.

Bennett's suspended certification also means he cannot turn on the blue lights on a police cruiser or make a traffic stop.

Bennett says he is still able to perform job duties related to managing the police department.

Town Administrator Gregg Whitehead says Bennett has been asked to take the firearms test again.