Fort Scott Police Captain Jason Pickert has been promoted to the Chief of Police, according to a press release from the city manager on Wednesday.
“It is with great pleasure that I announce Jason Pickert as the new Chief of Police for the City of Fort Scott” said Interim Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin. “Pickert has been with the Fort Scott Police Department for the last 18 years working side by side, as Police Captain, with retiring Police Chief Travis Shelton for the last four years.”
Pickert started his career with the Fort Scott Police Department in 2004 after graduating from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in 2005, according to a press release from Matkin.
He was a patrol office from 2004 to 2006 before taking the role of detective in the fall of 2006, serving in that role for two years.
Pickert was then promoted to Detective Sergeant in March of 2008 and served in this role for over ten years before being promoted to Captain in December of 2018.
Among the many other certificates and continued education classes, Pickert graduated with a Certified Public Manager certificate in 2017 from the University of Kansas.
“We had some very good candidates, and I was very impressed with each of the candidates we interviewed,” Matkin said. “The interview panel and I feel Jason Pickert is the one that stood out among the rest and will do a great job.”
“Pickert is a strong leader, decision maker, and a valuable resource,” Matkin said. “I look forward to working more closely with Jason and am excited to see what the future holds for the staff and the department.”
Pickert will take over the Chief of Police role on March 1st, 2023.
Current Fort Scott Chief of Police Travis Shelton will be retiring at the end of February.
