Asheville Police Department Deputy Chief Jim Baumstark to retire Nov. 1
ASHEVILLE — Asheville Police Department officers and city leaders celebrated Deputy Chief James “Jim” Baumstark Aug. 31, as he prepares to retire on Nov. 1.
Baumstark, 58, leaves the force with eight years of service from when he started with APD in November 2015, according to an APD Facebook post announcing his retirement. Before that, Baumstark was a captain with the Fairfax County Police in Virginia for more than 26 years, making his total time spent in law enforcement service over 34 years.
As a captain in Fairfax, Baumstark “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,” according to the city of Asheville’s website. Baumstark also served as director of the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center.
The now-retired deputy chief made $142,417 a year, according to a city of Asheville employee database. The only Asheville law enforcement personnel to make more than Baumstark is Police Chief David Zack at $172,815 per year.
"Deputy Chief Baumstark's vast knowledge of administrative procedure and his operational experience have been valuable assets to the Asheville Police Department," APD spokesperson Samantha Booth told the Citizen Times Aug. 31. "His extensive knowledge and background have improved the department's operations management and internal procedures."
While with APD, Baumstark graduated in December 2018 from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, according to a APD Facebook post from the time. The national academy provides advanced training in investigations, management and fitness to senior officers, according to the FBI website.
Earlier this year, Baumstark and others formerly with the Fairfax, Virginia, police department were named in a jury trial for a sex trafficking cover-up scheme. Victim Jane Doe filed her first complaint against the officers in October 2021, and Baumstark was one of seven defendants in the lawsuit that later followed and led to a jury trial.
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Baumstark was the supervisor of two Fairfield County Police Department officers, Michael Barbazette and Jason Mardocco, who faced serious allegations of actively participating in and helping protect a sex-trafficking ring, the Citizen Times previously reported. The ongoing trafficking and alleged police involvement came to light around 2015, the same year Baumstark left the department in Virginia and was hired by former Asheville police chief Tammy Hooper.
After a two-week trial, the eight-person civil jury found that the woman was a willing sex worker and not a victim of trafficking. Reaching this conclusion, the jury did not have to consider the question of the officers' alleged involvement in protecting the prostitution ring.
APD also recently named Michael Lamb as a new deputy chief, one of two on staff. Lamb, 42, has served with the department for over 25 years.
APD has not yet provided comment from Lamb on his new appointment after multiple requests.
This story will be updated.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville police Deputy Chief Jim Baumstark to retire Nov. 1
