Haines City Police Chief Jay Hopwood Retires After 40 Years of Law Enforcement Service

HAINES CITY, FL — Haines City Police Chief Jay Hopwood will officially retire from the City of Haines City effective Friday, January 30, 2026, concluding a distinguished 40-year career in law enforcement.

Chief Hopwood began his career with the Haines City Police Department in 2002 as a patrol officer. Over the years, he served in numerous roles, including Undercover Drug Investigator, SWAT Team member, Detective, Detective Sergeant, Lieutenant for fourteen years, Deputy Chief of Police for two and a half years, Interim Chief, and ultimately Chief of Police. He has served as Chief since March 14, 2025. Throughout his tenure with the Haines City Police Department, Chief Hopwood supervised multiple units, including the Criminal Investigations Unit, Crime Scene Unit, Property and Evidence Unit, Patrol Division, Community Oriented Policing (C.O.P.’s) Unit, K-9 Unit, and Traffic Unit.

Prior to joining Haines City, Hopwood served as a Corrections Officer at the Polk County Jail for three years and later as a police officer with the Winter Haven Police Department. His combined service reflects four decades of dedication to public safety.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Haines City for the past 24 years, including the last ten months as Chief of Police,” said Chief Hopwood. “While this is a bittersweet moment, I am incredibly proud of my career and grateful for the friendships I’ve made with current and former members of the Police Department, City employees, and the residents and business owners of Haines City.

“I sincerely appreciate the hard work and dedication of our officers and staff — I could not have succeeded without them. As I ride into the sunset, I’ll leave you with this: 𝐼’𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑠-𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛’, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛’-𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛’, 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒-𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑛’, 𝑗𝑒𝑡-𝑓𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛’ 𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑔𝑢𝑛, walking the aisle one last time as the retired Chief of Police. Woooo!”

The City of Haines City and the members of the Haines City Police Department extend their sincere gratitude to Chief Hopwood for his 24 years of service to the community. His leadership, dedication, and loyalty have left a lasting impact on the department and the city as a whole.

“Chief Jay Hopwood has dedicated his career to serving the Haines City community with integrity and professionalism,” said City Manager James Elensky. “We are grateful for his years of service and wish him the best on his well-deserved retirement.”

Deputy Chief Isaac Jackson will assume oversight of the Police Department’s daily operations.