Hot Springs police chief says serving public a ‘calling’

A longtime veteran of the Hot Springs Police Department, Jason Stachey was recently named police chief.
A longtime veteran of the Hot Springs Police Department, Jason Stachey was recently named police chief.

From the time he was 6 years old, new Hot Springs Police Chief Jason Stachey knew he wanted to be a police officer. He chose a university — Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas — known for its criminal justice program and returned to his hometown after graduating to begin his public service career.

Stachey, who’s been with the Hot Springs Police Department for nearly 19 years, was serving as interim chief until he was hired last month for the top position. He said he is “very humbled” to be selected as chief, noting it was one of the “toughest” selection processes he had ever endured. He was chosen from a pool of 75 applicants.

Stachey, 41, was born and raised in the Spa City. His late father, Bill Stachey, was a funeral director at Caruth-Hale Funeral Home. A detective worked at the funeral home, and one day his father invited him to their home, Stachey recounted. “I was 6 years old. The detective was wearing regular clothes, but then he pulled out his police badge. From that point on, I have never deviated from my course that got me where I am today.”

His calling to serve the public has only grown stronger through the years, Stachey said. “I truly believe that people in my line of work feel a calling, and are pulled toward it. We feel called to help people and make a positive impact on the community they’re in. We say in the police force that we ‘protect and serve,’ and I think serving is just as, if not more important, as the protecting part of the job.”

Stachey has experienced working in about every aspect of the police department, he said. He most recently was the public information officer. From the criminal investigation division to his post as school resource officer, he has had the privilege to learn and master the inner-workings of the department.

Being a school resource officer is one of his favorite jobs to date, Stachey said. He worked at Hot Springs High School and enjoyed fostering relationships with students, he noted. “School resource officers have an immediate impact with youth by establishing meaningful relationships. It’s a great opportunity for young people to see what law enforcement is all about,” he said.

To this day, he said, former students approach him to catch up on life.

Stachey is a stated team player and said he knows it takes all of the department’s 138 employees to make a difference. “I’m just one small piece of this pie,” he said, adding he’s fortunate to work with people who all want to “make a safer community and want Hot Springs to thrive.”

“It’s such a unique place with so many natural resources,” Stachey said. “And as we move forward, I want to make sure our primary objective is to work together to help develop Hot Springs and make it safe to raise a family and work.”

Stachey’s top goals include reducing crime and drug activity in Hot Springs and to “increase the professionalism in the department to make it the best law enforcement agency in the state,” he said.

Since taking on his leadership role, Stachey said he’s been working with his command staff to develop a crime-reduction strategy. A main way to address the issue is through code enforcement, he said. “We want to bring neighborhoods who need assistance in development up to par and make them more aesthetically pleasing.”

It’s imperative to look at available avenues for people who may have trouble affording the requested code enforcement upgrades, Stachey said. “We can look at grants that will help homeowners and get the community involved. I’m an ‘outside-the-box’ thinker and am willing to get creative to accomplish our goals.”

Executing all of the department’s plans and goals first requires accountability within the force, Stachey said. “I realize I can’t do everything by myself, nor should I. I want to make sure every employee at this department understands they’re accountable, and most important for us to remember is we’re accountable to the public.”

While Stachey is never really off-duty, there is one place where he can go back to just being a husband to Merry, who owns the boutique Jeans and Java, and father to 14-year-old triplets Chase, Blake and Logan.

“I really value my time at home,” he said. “When I close that garage and enter the house, I can go back to being Jason.”

This downtime, along with time spent at their farm mowing grass, helps keep Stachey charged for his policing demands. “I’m getting close to the 20-year mark, and when people hear of anyone at a job for that long, they think you might be getting tired of it, but I still have the same, if not more, enthusiasm as when I started.”

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