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Jamestown council approves hiring of five police officers and one court security officer
Summary
At its first 2025 work session, the Jamestown City Council approved two resolutions to suspend the hiring freeze and add five police officers to the Jamestown Police Department and one court security officer; the court security position’s salary is funded by the state, the police hires prompted concerns about training timelines and injury pay.
Jamestown City Council on Jan. 6 approved two separate resolutions to suspend the city's hiring freeze so the Jamestown Police Department (JPD) can hire five police officers and so the courts can add one full-time court security officer.
Council members discussed the need to recruit quickly. Council member Preston said Chief Jackson asked that hires be in place and in training by the end of February to avoid losing candidates to other agencies. The council approved both resolutions; vote tallies and mover/second names were not specified in the meeting transcript.
The council and safety committee noted staffing and payroll implications. A member of the safety committee said the five officers currently are in the police academy; if hired immediately the city would start paying them while they are training, and an injury during training could invoke a 207-c retirement or benefits issue. That committee member added that, in their professional judgment, current staffing levels are not safe and the five hires are needed "ASAP." Chief Jackson declined to add further comment during the discussion.
Council members said the court security officer is a full-time position for the courts and that the position's salary is paid through the state, so the city would not incur the cost. The council noted the 2023 audit is nearly complete and that the auditors' director will present results to the full council in a forthcoming meeting.
Under city procedure, council action was recorded as resolutions and the items will appear on the next agenda for formalization at the voting session on Jan. 27, 2025, according to remarks at the work session. No formal vote tallies, ordinance numbers, or resolution numbers were given in the work session transcript.
