Jamestown names a new police chief and acting fire chief as its public-safety leadership shifts
Jamestown NY – The city now has a permanent police chief and an acting fire chief after Timothy Jackson’s retirement, with the fire role still unsettled.
Jamestown now has a permanent police chief and an acting fire chief, giving the city a clearer chain of command after the February retirement of Police Chief and Director of Public Safety Timothy Jackson.
In two city posts published April 6, Jamestown announced Scott Forster as its permanent police chief and Ryan Roush as acting fire chief. The fire appointment took effect immediately, while the police announcement makes clear Forster is moving into the top job on a permanent basis.
Who is taking over
According to the city, Forster has spent 16 years with the Jamestown Police Department. He was hired as an officer in 2010 and later served as sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and deputy chief before being named chief. The city also highlighted his SWAT and Honor Guard service.
Roush brings a similarly long internal track record on the fire side. The city said he joined the Jamestown Fire Department in 2007, later became a lieutenant and then battalion chief, and has also served as a fire investigator and municipal fire instructor.
Spectrum News also described both men as familiar faces already known inside their departments, rather than outside hires brought in during a transition.
Why this happened now
The immediate reason is Jackson’s retirement. A city announcement in January said Jackson would retire effective February 4, 2026, ending more than 25 years with the Jamestown Police Department. He had served as both police chief and director of public safety since late 2020.
That dual title matters because Jamestown’s police and fire oversight had been tied together under the public-safety-director structure. So this week’s appointments are not just a routine personnel update. They are part of a broader shift in how the city organizes two of its most visible public-safety departments.
Why it matters for residents
For residents, businesses, and anyone who follows City Hall, the practical takeaway is straightforward: police leadership now looks settled, while fire leadership is still temporary.
That distinction is important. A permanent police chief gives the city a defined decision-maker for policing, staffing oversight, and department management. On the fire side, Jamestown has an acting chief in place for day-to-day operations, but the title itself signals that the long-term leadership question is not fully closed.
There is also a larger policy backdrop. Jamestown City Council proceedings from March 31, 2025 show the city had already said it wanted to separate police and fire leadership back into the positions of police chief and fire chief. Those proceedings also authorized appointing a fire chief and called for related charter and civil-service wording changes.
More recently, WJTN reported that City Council took late-March action to eliminate the public safety director title before the swearing-in process moved ahead. That helps explain the timing of the new appointments, though it does not by itself prove that every charter or code reference has already been fully cleaned up.
What to watch next
The next question is whether Jamestown names a permanent fire chief or leaves the department under acting leadership for a longer period.
Residents should also watch for any additional council action or formal code updates tied to the city’s move away from the combined public-safety-director model. The direction of travel is clear: Jamestown is separating police and fire leadership. What is not fully settled yet is how quickly every remaining title, appointment step, and code reference catches up with that change.
Sources
- City of Jamestown police chief announcement
- City of Jamestown acting fire chief announcement
- City of Jamestown retirement announcement for Timothy Jackson
- Spectrum News report on Jamestown police and fire leadership
- WJTN local radio headlines on council action
- Jamestown City Council March 31, 2025 proceedings
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- Jamestownny
