Stanley lost a public servant when former police chief Jim Hayes passed away August 7. Hayes joined the department in the later 1970s as a patrol officer, beginning employment with the city in the Spring of 1977.
Then rising in rank, he was appointed Chief of Police on January 5, 1978, serving in this capacity until his resignation on June 28, 1979. Paying tribute to the one-time local chief, the Stanley Police Department shared the following:
“On Saturday, August 5, 2023, we learned the unfortunate news of the passing of former Stanley Police Chief James E. Hayes. Chief Hayes began his employment with the City of Stanley Police Department on April 15, 1977, as a patrol officer. On July 1, 1977, he was appointed to the position of sergeant and later appointed to Chief of Police on January 5, 1978, a position he held until his resignation with the City of Stanley on June 28, 1979.”
In addition to Stanley, Hayes also served with the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Brookfield Police Department, and as a deputy sheriff for the Clark County Wisconsin along with Pinellas County Florida.
Survived by many family members, Hayes was a member of American Legion Post #73 of Neillsville, with memorials to C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) appreciated in lieu of flowers.
A private internment was made in the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery.
