WYMORE, Neb. (AP) — The City Council has affirmed the hiring of a new police chief for Wymore.

The action on Jay Welch was taken at a special council meeting on Monday.

Welch has been a sergeant with the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and a Beatrice police officer. He’s also worked for the Dundy and Thayer county sheriff’s departments. He’s been a law officer for 21 years.

Welch will lead a department with two full-time and four part-time officers who protect the city’s 1,400 residents.

Welch fills a vacancy created with the dismissal of Chief Russell Kirkpatrick, who was fired after only a few weeks on the job.