Oak Creek officially completed its hunt for a police chief last week after interviewing eight candidates and hosting a town meet-and-greet with two finalists.

Jeffrey Mason, of Barnesville, Georgia, was unanimously chosen by the Oak Creek Board of Trustees at their Oct. 27 meeting. His start date is Dec. 1.

“I receive a lot of complaints about one thing or another, and we’ve had to tell people since I’ve been here that there’s nothing we can do until we can get a police department up and running again,” said Oak Creek Town Administrator Louis Fineberg. “I’m going to be very happy to not have to tell people that anymore.”

The town of Oak Creek has been without a police chief or department since March of last year, when the previous chief, Ralph Maher, retired following an investigation into his alleged conduct at an all-male entertainment show held at an Oak Creek bar in early 2024.

Mason will report directly to Fineberg and will be responsible for all police operations, including patrol, investigations and records.

The position also requires managing the police budget, as well as staffing and equipment needs, with a salary range of $100,000 to $134,392 and benefits for the position, according to an agenda packet from an August board meeting.

“I’m very excited about it. I love the town,” said Mason. “It’s just a nice, quiet, beautiful place to police. I policed in Griffin, Georgia, for 20 years, and there’s a lot of crime there. I don’t see a whole lot of crime going on in Oak Creek.”

Mason’s law enforcement experience spans back to 1995 at the Griffin Police Department, where he participated in criminal investigations, the narcotics division and patrolling. He later took on the role of the chief of police for Gordon State College in Barnesville, until he became an investigator sergeant in Thomaston, Georgia.

In addition to his active law enforcement duties, Mason also continues to teach criminal justice classes at Gordon State College.

Mason currently lives in Barnesville with his wife and son. He said he will be moving to Oak Creek by himself after Thanksgiving. His wife will follow after their son graduates from high school.

Fineberg noted that Mason’s previous law enforcement experience made him stand out, particularly because of his familiarity with policing in small, rural towns.

“What we’re looking for most of all is to just re-establish a police presence in Oak Creek since there hasn’t been one for the last year and a half,” said Fineberg. “He’s used to policing in small communities, so I think that makes him a good guy for the job — to re-establish the presence and let people know that the police department is up and running again.”

As his first order of business, Mason said he wants to get to know the people of Oak Creek and understand community needs within and outside of the town.

“I want to get to know the community as much as possible because everybody’s important,” he said. “Everybody in the area I want to meet — I want to shake hands with.”

Already having met with Hayden Police Chief Scott Scurlock and Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar, Mason said he is working to better understand the county and local policies.

“Routt County may have unique things that they’re doing there that I need to be aware of,” said Mason. “We need to do it all in lockstep. I don’t want to do things my way. I want to do things the Routt County way.”

“Any time you do something, whether you do it right or you do it wrong, you walk away and learn something from it,” he continued. “I’ve had a long career in law enforcement, and I’ve learned a lot of things. I’ve learned them the hard way and learned them the right way. What you walk away with is a lot of wisdom. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect … But I think it’s best to listen and quietly take things in.”

Before starting his new role, Mason wants the people of Oak Creek to know that his door is always open, and he hopes to meet everyone in the town as soon as possible.

“If you get an opportunity to stop by the station, come by and say hello,” he said.