Jamestown swears in Scott Forster as police chief; Ryan Rauch named acting fire chief

Scott D. Forster was sworn in as Jamestown’s Police Chief and Ryan J. Rauch was sworn as Acting Fire Chief during the City Council meeting on March 30, 2026. The nominations were submitted to the council in writing by Mayor Kimberly A. Ecklund and read into the record.

Forster stood to take the oath after the mayor’s nomination was read; he recited the required pledge to support the U.S. and New York state constitutions and to faithfully discharge the duties of Police Chief. The council and members of the public applauded after the oath. Rauch likewise recited the oath for Acting Fire Chief and received applause.

The mayor’s written nominations specified terms for both positions to run through Dec. 31, 2030. The council then moved to accept the nominations and proceeded with the ceremonial oaths; the transcript records the oaths and applause but does not include a formal roll-call vote for each nomination in the printed excerpts.

The swearing follows a procedural step earlier in the meeting to remove a local law related to the position of police chief from the table so the council could address appointments. The new police chief and acting fire chief will assume responsibilities spelled out by city charter and department procedures; the transcript does not include additional implementation details such as immediate assignments or a published transition timeline.

Next steps: the council will include the appointments in the official minutes and personnel records; any departmental reassignments or operational changes were not announced in the meeting transcript.