Published: June 01, 2009 08:36 pm      

Whitaker new Burnside Police chief

Burnside — Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Whitaker will be the new Chief of Police in Burnside, follow-ing a vote Thursday night by the Burnside City Council.

The matter was discussed in a closed executive session by the six-person council, as well as Mayor Chuck Fourman and City Attorney Dan Thompson. The council discussed 10 potential applicants for the position, soon to be vacated by current chief Eddie Glover.

Out of those 10 — four of which were from out-of-state — the field was narrowed to three: one from outside Kentucky, and two local ones. The council decided to go with a candidate with a more intimate knowledge of the area, which left two to choose from — Charles Boston and Craig Whitaker, both deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department.

Fourman made the decision to appoint Boston because the candidate is actually from Burnside.

“That played a factor in my decision,” said Fourman. “Both candidates were equally qualified — both were highly recommended by (Sheriff Todd Wood) — but Boston lived in Burnside.”

That appointment was then voted on by the council, but it was rejected by a count of five against one.

Fourman was then left to appoint Whitaker, who met with the exact opposite result — 5-1 in favor of his being named sheriff. When the matter was officially voted on in regular open session, all the councilors except for Jim Rasnick cast votes to name Whitaker the new police chief of the Burnside Police Department.

Councilor Ron Jones was one of those who favored Whitaker. Jones said it was because of the difference between the two in their higher education.

“I felt like both candidates were well-matched, with the exception that Mr. Whitaker had more college experience,” said Jones. “The only thing that anyone brought up (as separating the two) was (Whitaker’s) educational background.”

Rasnick sided with the idea that Boston was a Burnside resident, business owner — of the Goodie Shack, an eatery on U.S. 27 in the only town on Lake Cumberland — and a local voter.

“Both candidates were truly qualified, both had stellar histories and impeccable references,” said Rasnick. “What swayed me to cast my vote for Charles Boston ... (is that) having a police chief who is a resident of the city is a big advantage. You have a faster response time, he knows the people here, he went to school with them. It’s a big advantage when you know the local residents.”

Rasnick added that the difference in education background was made moot by the extensive experience both had in their particular field, law enforcement.

Whitaker has been with the sheriff’s department since 1996, and also has also worked in security at Woodson Bend Resort.

Whitaker told the Commonwealth Journal that he’s “very excited” to become Burnside’s newest police chief — replacing Glover, who served about half a decade in the role as Burnside grew and introduced alcohol into restaurants, changing the city’s landscape — and noted that his goals will probably be the same as Glover’s.

“We’re always looking for more manpower, to see the department grow. ... It’s an excellent department to work for,” said Whitaker. “You don’t get the opportunity very often to be the leader of a local department here in Pulaski County.”

Whitaker said he will officially begin his new job in a couple week’s time.