A leadership change is underway within the Kenton County Police Department
James “Jim” Gilpin was appointed interim Kenton County police chief Tuesday of last week.
Gilpin will assume the mantle of police chief from Michael “Spike” Jones on Sept. 11. Jones was voted in as the new Covington assistant city manager on the same day that Gilpin was voted in as interim chief. County police chiefs are appointed by county fiscal courts.
“We’re going to do some administrative review for the next couple weeks,” said County Administrator Joe Shriver. “We plan on posting this position mid-September, getting the applications in [and] doing interviews in mid to late October with the goal of having a selection to [The Fiscal Court] by the Oct. 27 meeting.”
Gilpin is a longtime member of the Kenton County Police Department. He spent 20 years with the department, rising through the ranks to the rank of captain. He retired in 2019 but came back as assistant chief in January 2024.
