After 34 years in law enforcement, Hastings Police Chief Jeff Pratt is retiring. It was announced this week that Friday, April 16th will be Pratt’s last day at work for the City, then he will be on leave until his official retirement date later this year.
Most members of the community including some City Council members were surprised on Wednesday when City Manager Jerry Czarnecki announced Chief Pratt’s decision to leave at the end of this week. Pratt has been planning to transition to retirement this year, but it wasn’t expected to happen so soon. Czarnecki said he and Pratt had been in discussions for the last couple months and came to a mutual agreement about it. Czarnecki is also leaving his post soon; retiring as City Manager effective May 7.
Deputy Chief Dale Boulter will take over as Interim Police Chief, and Sergeant Julissa Kelly will be named interim Deputy Chief. A permanent Chief will likely not be named until after a new City Manager is hired.
Pratt’s career in law enforcement began in March 1987 at the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, where he stayed for only a few months before moving to the City of Hastings Police Dept. in December that year. He became Chief in 2014. Pratt said he has loved working for the city and that he intends to remain involved in the community. He said he knew it was time for him to move on and “time to let the department move forward and let Dale take over”.
