Upon Chief Pierce’s removal, the new Public Safety Commissioner attempted to appoint a new Chief.  His first choice, former Chief J. Winder Bryan, turned down the position after he was offered a pay raise at his current job heading the State Prison Identification Bureau.  The Commissioner’s second choice, Charles W. Mangum, was a credit representative at Rex Hospital prior to nomination.  He was not approved by the Civil Service Board, however, due to lack of any experience in law enforcement.  Finally, the Commissioner nominated Detective Sergeant Archie L. Bailey for the position.  Bailey was the popular choice among Raleigh’s police officers.
Bailey’s time as chief was characterized by continued efforts to increase the size of the police force, tightening of rules for the use of police vehicles and for off-duty possession of alcohol by police, as well as the establishment of a city dogcatcher.  He succeeded in the first, gaining two new officer positions as well as salary increases in September of 1939.  He instituted rules about how fast new police cars could be driven, took away the rights enjoyed by higher-ranking officers to drive police cars home from work, and restricted use of police vehicles (with few exceptions) to within the city and township limits.  He also established a police library, holding a barbeque to fund it.
The role of dogcatcher was formed as a result of Bailey’s campaign to reduce rabies cases by removing stray dogs from Raleigh’s streets.  In August, he ordered his officers to shoot dogs which were running loose.  This order led to the formation of a local branch of the SPCA.  It promptly called for the police to deal with the problem of rabies and loose dogs in a more humane way, calling for the establishment of a dog pound and the office of dog catcher.  Following that, police no longer dealt with stray dogs except in emergency situations.
Archie Bailey died suddenly on October 16, 1939, of a heart attack.  He had been with the Raleigh Police Department for 17 years at the time of his death, although only Chief for a few months.  He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery.​