Ellis has a new police chief.

Taft Yates has been a part-time officer with the force since November, 2008.  Ellis City Council members voted 5-1 last week in support of the search committee’s recommendation to hire Yates.

The 59-year-old Yates spent 19 years in the Army Rangers and has also worked for the Hays Police Department and the Kansas Department of Corrections in Ellsworth.