The City of Jamestown has a new Police Chief.
During a special called meeting Wednesday evening, Mayor Regena Hinton recommended Nathan Antle to succeed Chief Jeff Kerns, who is stepping down from the position after accepting the role of School Resource Officer at Jamestown Elementary School.
The recommendation received unanimous approval from the Jamestown City Council.
Following his appointment, Antle told WJRS NEWS one of his first priorities as Chief will be to listen.
Antle has served with the Jamestown Police Department since early last year and brings law enforcement experience and familiarity with the community to the department’s top leadership role. He previously served several years with the Russell Springs Police Department and also as a Deputy for the Russell County Sheriff’s Department. He is expected to be sworn in as Jamestown’s new Chief in the coming days.
WJRS NEWS also spoke with outgoing Chief Jeff Kerns, who described leaving the Chief’s position as “bittersweet,” but said he is excited to begin serving as the School Resource Officer at Jamestown Elementary.
Kerns said he is proud of the progress made during his time as Chief, including updating department equipment, installing mobile data terminals in patrol vehicles, and most recently securing the support of Mayor Regena Hinton and the Jamestown City Council to restore hazardous duty retirement benefits for Jamestown police officers.
As he prepares to transition into his new role, Kerns said he looks forward to continuing to serve the community by building positive relationships with students and staff and helping keep Jamestown Elementary safe.