The borough has agreed on a contract with officer Jimmy Yoakum, of Loudon County, Tenn., for Haines Borough chief of police. Yoakum’s hire must be approved by the borough assembly before the decision is made final. If approved, Yoakum will start as chief on June 16, said interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton.
Yoakum was selected as the top candidate for the position in April out of three finalists, and visited Haines for the first time last month. Fullerton said the contract up for assembly approval would pay Yoakum $125,000 per year. Job listings for the open position advertised a pay range of $120,000 to $135,000 per year.
Yoakum’s arrival to town would bolster a department that is understaffed and has not had a permanent chief since November 2024.
Officer Michael Fullerton, who had been filling in as interim chief, resigned from the department at the end of April. That has meant the remaining two officers, Travis Russell and Maxwell Jusi, have been working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. The department is budgeted for five total officers, including the chief, and is accepting applications for the two open jobs.
During his visit last month, Yoakum outlined ideas he had to improve recruitment and retention, including how to pitch the department to potential candidates.
“Officers wear so many hats [in Haines],” said Yoakum. “A police officer typically takes a report and hands it off to a detective. Here you work a case from start to finish. You work all types of cases. We need to highlight the ability to get that kind of experience.”