HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The City of Hopkinsville has announced the plan to temporarily fill the Hopkinsville Police Chief position after a “tell-all” press conference by current Chief Jason Newby was suddenly canceled.
In a news release Thursday afternoon, the city stated that Deputy Police Chief Erik Pacheco will remain in his current role through the remainder of Mayor James R. Knight’s tenure and a chief will not be named until a new mayor takes office after the November general election. The city says this plan provides continued leadership and continuity within the Hopkinsville Police Department during the upcoming transition.
Chief Newby announced his resignation from the position on Tuesday with his final day planned for Oct. 11. At that time, Pacheco had initially announced he was also resigning. The city says they will begin a nationwide search for Hopkinsville’s next chief of police, with the position opening for applications on Oct. 1. The search will be open to qualified candidates from within the department and across the country.
“Public safety has been a cornerstone of our administration and remains one of the City of Hopkinsville’s top priorities,” Mayor Knight said. “As we begin the process of identifying the next leader of the Hopkinsville Police Department, we want to be thoughtful and thorough. A nationwide search allows us to consider a strong and diverse pool of candidates while also giving the talented professionals within our own department the opportunity to pursue this important leadership role.”
At Tuesday night’s Hopkinsville City Council meeting, half a dozen residents spoke during public comments in favor of the promotion of HPD’s Major Michael Atkins as interim chief. At the end of the meeting, councilmembers entered closed session for a full hour for a confidential personnel discussion. No action was taken during closed session, and no vote took place before adjournment of the meeting.
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Chief Newby’s press conference quickly canceled
At 9 a.m. on Thursday, the following statement was released by Chief Newby where he announced a press conference for Friday morning to address questions and rumors, “I have never ignored questions and concerns from the community, and I am not going to start now. You all deserve to know what is happening with this process because it affects the police department and our community.”
The statement continued to say that Newby planned on addressing the recommendation he made for the interim chief position to Mayor James R. Knight, why that was his recommendation, and what issues may prevent it from happening.
He ended the statement saying, “I can assure you some of my statements and answers will not go over well with some of the city council members, but the Hopkinsville Police Department and this community are far more important to me than the feelings of those that are blocking the success, safety, and security of both.”
The press conference was confirmed by HPD Public Information Officer Justin Rios, and media was invited to attend along with the public. However, just a few hours later media was notified that the press conference was canceled. Newby updated his statement saying that he was advised that the Mayor’s Office would be sending out information later about the position, and questions should be directed that way.