Barnstable PD Promotes Acting Deputy Chief To Permanent Role

News release from Barnstable Police Department.

BARNSTABLE, MA — The Barnstable Police Department is proud to announce the promotion of Acting Deputy Chief Jennifer Ellis to full time Deputy Chief. We would like to congratulate Deputy Chief Ellis.

Deputy Chief Jennifer Ellis is a 25-year veteran of the Department and has served in multiple specialty roles at the agency. She was promoted to Sergeant in 2016 and promoted to Lieutenant in 2019 where she served as the Evening Shift Commander for the past 4 years. She has served as the Acting Deputy Chief since 2023.

Deputy Chief Ellis has worked as a School Resource Officer, Field Training Officer, Sexual Assault Officer, Mountain Bike Officer, and has been a participating member of the department’s Peer Support Team for over 10 years, recently serving on the team’s Executive Board.

Most notably, Deputy Chief Ellis was assigned to the Community Impact Unit for five years and supervised it for over three years. During that time, she worked closely with persons battling homelessness, substance abuse issues, and mental health issues. In 2014 Deputy Chief Ellis authored a grant through the Department of Mental Health that allowed Barnstable Police to implement a Jail Diversion Program, hire a part-time clinician, and establish the region’s first Community Crisis Intervention Team. Additionally, she became a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor and taught department members how to identify and respond to individuals suffering from mental health and substance abuse crises.

Deputy Chief Ellis has served on the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Cape & Islands Board of Directors and the Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She has been a guest speaker at the Department of Mental Health Law Enforcement Conference, the Cape Cod Community College Policing Forum, the Behavioral Health Coalition of Cape Cod & Islands, along with many other engagements. Deputy Chief Ellis has completed the FBI LEEDA Trilogy, FBI Command School, and the IACP Women in Leadership program.

Deputy Chief Ellis has received many awards for her work in the community including the 2014 Hyannis Business Improvement District Citizen of the Year, Barnstable County Human Rights Commission Rosenthal Award, Champ Homes Bright Light Award, as well as Official Citations from the Massachusetts State Senate, Massachusetts House of Representatives, and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. Deputy Chief Ellis will be the Field Services Bureau Commander.

Deputy Chief Ellis holds a Juris Doctorate in Law from Southern New England School of Law and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association.