• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Updated: Chief Akagi retiring

Posted at 2:17 pm August 17, 2018
By John Huotari 62 Comments

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m. Aug. 18.

Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. “Jim” Akagi is retiring in October, officials said Friday.

The retirement announcement was made by the Oak Ridge City Manager’s Office.

Akagi has been police chief since July 1, 2011. His retirement is effective October 20.

Akagi has led 64 sworn members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, managed the acquisition of new equipment for the department, achieved funding for a new radio and police software system, and increased training opportunities for Oak Ridge officers, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: administrative leave, Chief Akagi, James T. "Jim" Akagi, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department, police chief, retirement, Robin Smith

Oak Ridge police chief placed on leave

Posted at 10:55 pm July 19, 2018
By John Huotari 42 Comments

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:35 a.m.

Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. Akagi has been placed on administrative leave, and Deputy Chief Robin Smith has taken over daily operations for now, City Manager Mark Watson said Thursday.

Akagi is on leave until Watson can meet with him after returning from a trip to China, the city manager said.

Three anonymous letters were sent in June and July to Watson, Oak Ridge City Council members, other law enforcement officials, and local media outlets. The letters have been reviewed and have been a catalyst for concern, Watson said Thursday.

The letters are not signed, but they said they are from Oak Ridge Police Department employees. One letter said it represented an “overwhelming majority” of ORPD members. Among other things, the letters raised concerns about harassment, a hostile work environment, hostility, retaliation, policy decisions, and turnover. The letters ask for Akagi’s removal or termination, and an investigation by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission or some other “independent and unbiased agency.” They said conditions have not improved since the 2015 review by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee and have gotten worse instead. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: administrative leave, Jack Suggs, James T. Akagi, Jim Akagi, Mark Watson, MTAS, Municipal Technical Advisory Service, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, police chief, Robin Smith, Trina Baughn

CPD Chief Scarbrough moving to UT’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center

Posted at 3:10 pm July 10, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough

Rick Scarbrough is leaving the Clinton Police Department after 16 years as chief. Scarbrough has accepted a position as executive director of the University of Tennessee’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center.

On Tuesday, the City of Clinton said it announced the departure with mixed emotions.

“When I say mixed emotions, I’m excited for the opportunity my friend has, but as city manager, I obviously hate to lose him as our police chief,” Clinton City Manager Roger Houck said in a press release.

Houck said he and Scarbrough have discussed the possibility the chief could be leaving, and they both think Assistant Chief Vaughn Becker is ready for the opportunity.

“We have had a succession plan in place for some time,” Houck said. Becker will become the interim Clinton police chief effective August 1. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clinton, Police and Fire, Top Stories, University of Tennessee Tagged With: Clinton Police Department, Law Enforcement Innovation Center, police chief, Rick Scarbrough, Roger Houck, University of Tennessee, Vaughn Becker

Lunch with the League features police chief on Tuesday

Posted at 10:19 pm September 18, 2017
By Ruby Miller Leave a Comment

James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Lunch with the League on Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The speaker will be Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.

The public is invited, and there is no cost to attend.

The lunch, which will last until about 1 p.m. Tuesday, will be in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Akagi will talk about current issues in the City of Oak Ridge and surrounding areas that are affecting police activities—including opioid usage, immigration, and school safety, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration, Jim Akagi, League of Women Voters, Lunch with the League, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge League of Women Voters, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, police chief

Norris Bulletin: Norris hires new police chief, separates public safety departments

Posted at 10:44 am June 14, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The town of Norris will have a new police chief beginning July 3.

According to the Norris Bulletin, it was announced during the Norris City Council meeting on Monday that William “Chip” Kain has been hired to serve as Norris’s next police chief. Kain is currently chief of police in the town of Baneberry, Tennessee. Kain has previously served with the University of Tennessee Police Department and the Clinton Police Department. He also once co-hosted a sports talk show on a Knoxville radio station. He succeeds Danny Humphrey, who stepped down earlier this year.

The Bulletin also reported that the City Council voted to reorganize the city’s Public Safety Department. The reorganization will essentially create separate police and fire departments, a move that supporters say will allow members of both to be more efficiently trained and supervised. That reorganization was unanimously approved.

WYSH Radio in Clinton is an Oak Ridge Today news partner.

Filed Under: Government, Norris, Norris, Police and Fire Tagged With: Danny Humphrey, Norris, Norris Bulletin, Norris City Council, police chief, public safety department, William "Chip" Kain

Council to consider reviewing, investigating ORPD in special meeting Friday

Posted at 9:10 am March 27, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge City Council on Feb. 9, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Feb. 9, agreed to a third-party review of turnover and morale in the Oak Ridge Police Department but rejected requests for two other probes. On Friday, March 27, the Council could consider reviewing or investigating the ORPD—there has been a dispute over which term to use—placing the police chief on administrative leave, or accepting a proposal from the Municipal Technical Advisory Service to conduct a 30-day review. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider whether to review or investigate the Oak Ridge Police Department during a special meeting on Friday, March 27. The Council will also consider whether to place the police chief on administrative leave during the investigation, if one is conducted.

City Council members Trina Baughn and Rick Chinn called for the special meeting earlier this month, and it was set for this Friday, March 27. Baughn and Chinn asked to set the parameters of an investigation and possibly select an investigator during the special meeting. They also asked to discuss and possibly vote on placing the police chief on administrative leave during the investigation.

Once it became clear that the special meeting would be called, Council members Ellen Smith and Charlie Hensley asked to consider selecting a reviewer to conduct the police review, as opposed to an investigation, approved in February. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Charlie Hensley, Ellen Smith, investigation, Kelly Callison, Municipal Technical Advisory Service, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, police chief, review, Rick Chinn, special meeting, Trina Baughn

Letter: Praises Baughn, says City Council needs more like her

Posted at 1:39 pm February 23, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 2 Comments

To the Editor:

I would like to commend the outstanding job that Trina Baughn is doing on City Council. Of all the members of City Council, she is the most knowledgeable about the city’s massive and rising $186.4 million debt. Trina Baughn understands the history of how this debt was accumulated; she also has developed a strategic plan to help the taxpayers resolve this debt.

While Oak Ridge slipped deeper into debt, past City Councils have wasted and squandered taxpayer funds on law firms in Washington, D.C., to lobby for more money for Oak Ridge’s government facilities, as if lobbying rather than the qualifications of local scientists could swing federal funding to Oak Ridge. The taxpayers derived zero benefit from those lobbyist payments or the largesse City Council has bestowed on the Chamber of Commerce over the years. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion Tagged With: Chamber of Commerce, City Council, debt, investigation, Michael Guth, police chief, spending, Trina Baughn

Two more Council members object to process used by Baughn

Posted at 11:21 pm February 8, 2015
By John Huotari 7 Comments

Chuck Hope

Chuck Hope

Kelly Callison

Kelly Callison

Two more Oak Ridge City Council members last week expressed regret about the process that was used by fellow Council member Trina Baughn to raise concerns about the Police Department and its chief.

Council members Kelly Callison and Chuck Hope said that Baughn could have first brought the issues regarding the Police Department and Police Chief Jim Akagi to the City Council in a work session or special meeting. That would have allowed all seven Council members to hear the information and work together to determine any next steps, they said.

But instead, Callison said, the issue was sent in parallel to City Council and the media, which bothers him.

“I feel that the process that she’s using is wrong,” Hope said. “It’s kind of circumvented the process. It’s all out there, across the press and across the social media.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, City Charter, crime rate, investigation, Jim Akagi, Kelly Callison, management, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Police Department, personnel, personnel matters, police chief, police response time, Trina Baughn

Baughn asks for investigation of police chief; Hensley seeks reprimand of Baughn

Posted at 6:48 pm February 3, 2015
By John Huotari 15 Comments

Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

Charlie Hensley

Charlie Hensley

Note: This story was updated at 7:08 p.m.

On one hand is Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn. She’s called for an investigation of the police chief.

On the other is City Council member Charlie Hensley. He wants the seven-member Council to reprimand Baughn.

It’s not clear which side, if either, will prevail during the Monday night meeting of the Oak Ridge City Council.

The two Council members, who have a strained relationship, have dueling resolutions that could be considered on Monday. Either one would require a second from another Council member to be discussed and four votes to be approved.

Both resolutions follow more than one week of accusations and allegations that have roiled and divided the community. They have focused, in particular, on the management of the Oak Ridge Police Department by Chief Jim Akagi and raised questions about the turnover rate and whether it is high. Some of the most blistering criticisms have come from former Oak Ridge Police Chief David Beams, who said he still visits the city. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Blount County Circuit Court, Board of Education, Bobby Hill, Charlie Hensley, Christopher Bayless, City Council, David Beams, investigation, Jack Mansfield, Jim Akagi, Ken Krushenski, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Charter, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Police Department, order of protection, police chief, rebuke, recruiting firm, reprimand, resolution, Trina Baughn

Guest column: Former superintendent rebuts Baughn’s school safety allegations

Posted at 4:13 pm July 12, 2013
By Bob Smallridge 39 Comments

Bob Smallridge

Bob Smallridge

The following is in response to a recent letter from Ms. Trina Baughn, which was published in The Oak Ridger on July 3 and subsequently reported in part by other area media.

I recently completed a six-month stint as interim superintendent of the Oak Ridge Schools, covering the period Jan. 1 through June 30. I will not attempt to speak to what might or might not have occurred prior to this time, but will comment only on events where I had some direct involvement during my period of service.

In assuming my role as interim superintendent, one of the things I felt was most important was for me to get out to the schools as frequently as possible. I was in the schools, on  average, twice a week, especially the secondary schools, because they are larger and it takes more time to visit all parts of the buildings. For the most part, my visits came at random times and were unannounced. I visited many classrooms and talked with both teachers and students individually. I saw students moving through the hallways and congregating in the larger assembly spaces in a causal, but controlled manner, enjoying a few minutes to converse with each other. Overall, I observed a very orderly environment based on caring and mutual respect between teachers, administrators, and students.

This is not to say that there are never problems that occur among students. Anytime you bring 700 students together as in the case of the middle schools or almost 1,400 at the high school you can expect instances of inappropriate behavior by a few students. Although most discipline situations are handled at the building level, there were times when it was necessary for me to get involved in reviewing a specific incident. For the most part, I was very comfortable that these situations were handled appropriately and consistently by school staff. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: behavior, Bob Smallridge, cooperation, discipline, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, FERPA, interim superintendent, Jim Akagi, memorandum of understanding, MOU, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Retired Teachers Association, Oak Ridge Schools, police chief, risk assessment, school administrators, school resource officers, schools, security, SRO, superintendent, Tennessee Public Records Act, Trina Baughn

ORPD chief to talk to Women’s Interfaith Dialogue on Monday

Posted at 5:06 pm March 29, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi will discuss vulnerable populations in the community on Monday.

Akagi will speak to the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge at 2 p.m. at Grace Covenant Church.

“He will explore various new ways we as citizens can help and will welcome suggestions from the attendees as well,” a press release said.

Akagi has been Oak Ridge police chief since July 2011. He is retired from the U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency as an assistant special agent in the Oklahoma City District Office, the press release said. He is a native of Kansas, where he formerly served as a police officer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Top Stories Tagged With: Carolyn Dipboye, Fran Silver, Grace Covenant Church, James T. Akagi, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, police chief, vulnerable populations, WID, Women's Interfaith Dialogue

Stufano named Roane State police chief

Posted at 11:47 am February 4, 2013
By Roane State Community College Leave a Comment

Roane State Community College Police Chief

Roane State President Dr. Chris Whaley, right, swears in Tom Stufano as the college’s police chief. (Submitted photo)

Tom Stufano has been named chief of police for Roane State Community College.

Stufano has more than 30 years in law enforcement, emergency management, and crisis management planning. Most recently, he served for more than six years as the chief of staff/deputy federal coordinating officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Southeast region.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Education, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: emergency management, Federal Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement, National Operations Center, police chief, Roane State Community College, Tom Stufano, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Recent Comments

  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Mysti M Desilva on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Mel Schuster on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Cecil King on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Rick Morrow on Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
  • Diana lively on Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25
  • Anne Garcia on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student
  • Raymond Dickover on Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center now open 6 days per week
  • Mike Mahathy on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today