The Aquinnah select board announced at a meeting Thursday that it would hire select board member Chris Manning as a full-time officer on Dec. 28.

The Chilmark select board gave the green light for police chief Sean Slavin to begin talks with the police union to aid the Aquinnah police department, which currently has only one officer in its department.

With only one full-time officer left on the force, Aquinnah officials this week turned to their neighbors with calls for aid.

Select board member and lighthouse keeper Chris Manning said the U.S. Coast Guard removed the newly installed LED beacon on Monday to correct its rotation and beam pattern at the agency's shop in Woods Hole.

A staffing shortage has the Aquinnah police department facing the possibility of closure, putting the future of law enforcement in the Island’s smallest town in limbo.

Aquinnah police are investigating vandalism on several private properties and along Moshup Trail.