Daily Independent (Ashland, KY)

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July 24, 2012

Flatwoods has new police chief

Kenneth Hart The Independent

FLATWOODS — The city of Flatwoods now has a successor to its retiring police chief.

He is Kraig Hankins, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms senior agent who brings a long and varied background in law enforcement to the table.

Hankins will officially assume command of the department on Aug. 1, the date outgoing Chief Tom Haynes’ retirement becomes effective.

Meeting in special session Monday, the city council voted unanimously to hire Hankins, who was the choice of both Mayor Bobby Crager and the search committee appointed to find Haynes’ successor.

According to Crager, Hankins was one of eight applicants for the position. While all were “excellent candidates,” Hankins impressed the committee the most with his demeanor and with the depth and breadth of his law enforcement and military background, Crager said.

Five of the chief candidates were current members of the police department, the mayor said.

Hankins, 55, an Ironton native, retired from the ATF in 2009. He said he decided to come out of retirement because he missed being in law enforcement.

“It’s all I’ve ever done,” he said.

While he said it was too soon to talk about any specific goals he might have as police chief, Hankins said his principal objective would be “looking out for the citizens of Flatwoods.” He also said he had been impressed with what he’d seen of the department and the city’s leaders and that he believed he was coming into a good situation.

Hankins, who lives in Ashland, served as a city police officer in Gallipolis and Nelsonville. He was also an instructor at the Ohio Peace Officers’ Academy in London for two years. While in the U.S. Air Force, he served as a military policeman in the 82nd Airborne Division for three years.

Hankins rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2008. He and his wife have three children and one grandchild.

Haynes is retiring after nearly 30 years with the department. He hired on in 1983 as a dispatcher and worked his way up through the ranks. In 2007, he succeeded Noel “Buddy” Gallion as chief after having been assistant chief for nine years.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or

(606) 326-2654.

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