Medical Lake considers police-hiring options

MEDICAL LAKE – The city of Medical Lake will hire an interim police chief while it weighs options for police services that range from hiring a permanent chief to contracting with another community for police coverage.

City Administrator Doug Ross told City Council members Tuesday that Mayor John Higgins has directed the city staff to hire an interim police chief, who could be on the job sometime in the next week or so.

“As you know, we continue to struggle with staffing,” Ross told the council.

The city is trying to replace Tony Harbolt, who left the chief’s post at the beginning of the year. Sgt. Joseph Mehrens is acting as interim chief of the five-member force.

The city had hoped to hire a Canadian who had applied for the chief’s job, but later learned he would have had to attend the Police Academy for four months, then ride with another officer for another month before he could be certified to work on his own. Ross pointed out that the city would have had to pay the officer during his training period without the benefit of having him working for the public.

Ross gave the council five proposed options at Tuesday’s meeting.

•Leave the department as it is. “I list this because whether practical or not, leaving things ‘status quo’ is always an option,” Ross wrote in his informational packet.

•Hire a police chief. The city would start to advertise for the position and part of the new chief’s employment contract would be to patrol the city as needed for sick officers or those on vacation.

“The department could effectively operate with this staffing level and still cover vacations and sick days without incurring a tremendous amount of overtime” Ross wrote in the packet.

•Hire a police chief and a lateral entry officer. Medical Lake recently sent out 142 fliers to other jurisdictions in Washington and even more fliers to Idaho and Montana requesting lateral entry candidates for an officer. They didn’t receive any responses.

“Due to lack of interest, this option does not appear to be viable,” Ross wrote.

•Hire a police chief and a candidate through the Civil Service process. This option involves hiring someone through the Civil Service process and will require any candidate to attend the Police Academy for four months and then train with an officer from anywhere from two to six months before the candidate could patrol on their own.

•Contract service. Ross said the city could contract service with a neighboring jurisdiction, but added that an important component would be to have officers in city uniforms and police cars as well as continue the 24-hour coverage in Medical Lake.

Resident Lois Feken told the council that she thinks contracting to another jurisdiction would be a mistake. She said a having a police chief who lives and works in Medical Lake is important.

“I don’t think that’s a wise choice,” she said.

Ross said he is open to any other ideas the council members might have.

“We need to move forward,” Mayor John Higgins said.

The council will discuss the issue during its next regular meeting July 15.