It's only been three months that the city of Adairville has been without a police chief, but Mayor Jim Wilkerson said he knew some citizens were getting a little anxious. That's why he was especially proud to announce the hiring of a new chief on Monday.

Steve Hadden began his job as the new Adairville Police Chief by walking through the town with Wilkerson, meeting local business owners and workers. He also visited the fire department and attended an Adairville-South Logan Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Hadden said he is looking forward to becoming part of the community and getting to know the people of Adairville.

“I like working with people and working with kids,” Hadden said.

Hadden was born and raised in Logan County, graduating from Olmstead High School in 1980. He served in the United States Marines in the 80s and later went into law enforcement. He served as a deputy with the Sheriff's Department for almost two years before moving to the Russellville Police Department where he served ten years.

In June of 2001, Hadden joined the National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and served in an MP unit.

For the last year and a half, Hadden has been out of police work and recuperating from an automobile accident he had while working as a police officer in Russellville. When the Adairville job came open, it was the opportunity he'd been looking for to get back into law enforcement.

“He came with a lot of recommendations,” Wilkerson said.

Hadden said he hopes that being in a smaller town and being the only member of the police force will allow him to deal with things more on a one-to-one basis.

“I want people to feel free to talk to me about their concerns,” Hadden said.

As he begins working in Adairville, Hadden said one of his main concerns will be getting drugs under control and dealing with recent thefts. He will be working rotating shifts to cover many different times throughout the week.

“I will be out at nights, I will be out in the day and I will be out on weekends,” Hadden said.

Hadden and his family live west of Russellville. Although some Adairville City Council members had asked Wilkerson to try to hire an officer who would live in the city, Hadden said he plans to stay on his property.

“It's a family farm,” he said.

Hadden is married to Laura Hadden who is a deputy with the Logan County Sheriff's Office. Hadden has a 19-year-old son and he and Laura have three sons, ages seven, six and four. They are members of New Union Baptist Church where Hadden teaches a class of children ages four through third grade.

Wilkerson said he is pleased to welcome Hadden to the city and he hopes the citizens will welcome him as well.

“We look forward to him being with us a long time,” Wilkerson said.