Office of the Chief Chief of Police Chris Bailey Chief of Police Chris Bailey Chief Chris Bailey came to the City of Asheville from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, where he most recently served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division. He is a graduate of Indiana University-Indianapolis and the FBI National Academy. Chief Bailey’s first day with the Asheville Police Department was July 29, 2019. Contact Information: Office: 828-259-5813 cbailey@ashevillenc.gov Deputy Chief Wade Wood Deputy Chief Wade Wood Deputy Chief Wade Wood moved to Asheville and began his secondary education at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 1986. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1990. After serving as a Detention Officer with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, he began his career with the Asheville Police Department in 1992. Deputy Chief Wood began his career as a patrol officer and served several years with the Police and Community Together Team (PACT) coordinating and participating in numerous community events. He rose through the ranks serving as Patrol Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, Administrative Divisions Captain, and Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Captain. Deputy Chief Wood also served as the Interim Chief of Police from May 2, 2011, to March 1, 2012. Interim Chief Wood is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 234 in Quantico, Virginia and the Administrative Officers Management Program (AOMP) Session 27 through North Carolina State University. Contact Information: Office: 828-259-5885 wwood@ashevillenc.gov Deputy Chief James Baumstark Deputy Chief James “Jim” Baumstark Deputy Chief James “Jim” Baumstark started with the Asheville Police Department (APD) on November 9, 2015. Prior to his arrival, he served with the Fairfax County Police Department (FCDP) in Fairfax, Virginia for more than 26 years. He held the rank of Captain when he left FCPD to join APD. As Captain, he oversaw operations, administrative, and investigative responsibilities for the Franconia District Station, Criminal Intelligence Unit, the FCPD Gang Unit, a grant-funded Human Trafficking Task Force, and he served as Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center. Deputy Chief Baumstark received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Virginia Tech. He has advanced leadership training through the Professional Executive Leadership School from the University of Richmond Business School, Key Executive Masters Certificate Program through the Naval Postgraduate School. Deputy Chief Baumstark is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 274. Contact Information: Office: 828-259-5539 jbaumstark@ashevillenc.gov Assistant to the Chief of Police Jerri Jameson joined the Asheville Police Department in December 2018 as the Assistant to the Chief. Jameson studied broadcasting at City College where she also went on to teach Broadcast News. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University. Jameson previously worked in hospitality management and entertainment, followed by radio where she worked as a reporter and editor in the Miami and Palm Beach Beach, Florida markets. In 1998, Jameson was recruited to Asheville to head up sales and marketing for a manufacturing company that went on to become the leading manufacturer of its products in the nation. In 2002 James returned to the airwaves at 570 WWNC Radio. She served as the News Director for what is now iHeartMedia, and host of the Morning Report on WWNC. Jameson eventually left radio to join the communications team at Mission Health. She then served as Regional Communications Officer with the American Red Cross, deploying in public affairs roles in response to regional and national disasters before finally joining the Asheville Police Department. Contact Information: Office: 828-251-4056 jjameson@ashevillenc.gov Department Organizational Chart