Grand Coulee Police chief search back on track

Grand Coulee’s Civil Service Commission started advertising for a police chief in today’s Star newspaper and in statewide law enforcement journals.

Application packets need to be in to the CSC by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, when the commissioners will hold their next meeting.

The process has been delayed by a miscommunications between Mayor Chris Christopherson and the commissioners over the salary range.

The salary range set by the mayor is $6,600 to $7,200 a month, depending on experience.

When the CSC drew up its first draft, it showed the range from $6,600 to $9,000.

The mayor first outlined the salary range during a city council meeting, and it caused one uniformed officer to say if the $7,200 was a cap, the new chief would be the lowest paid officer in the department. Officers earn a lot of extra overtime pay.

The CSC process has been slowed down by the absence of a secretary/chief examiner and the resignation Monday of the group’s third commissioner, Mark Graves, who stated he was unable to attend the meetings.

His replacement will be named sometime in the future by the mayor. The position of commission secretary/chief examiner is also being advertised.

The new chief, when selected through the CSC process and named by the mayor, will administer a department of eight officers.

The search for a new chief started when longtime chief Mel Hunt retired Oct. 1.

Applications will go to the CSC whose commissioners will determine the three top candidates. They will forward their picks to the mayor, who will make his selection.

Amid the advertisement dispute, the CSC hired an Omak attorney, Scott W. Detro, to guide them through the selection process.

CSC Chair Alan Cain said at the group’s meeting Monday that Detro had seen the advertisement being used and approved its form.