PT focuses its search for new chief

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The city of Port Townsend has received no shortage of applicants in its search for a new police chief, both from in-state job seekers and out-of-state.

City Manager John Mauro said the city had almost 30 applicants for the position.

“Some of them certainly caught my eye with their strong experience and qualifications,” Mauro said. “It’s a long process to work out our priority candidates.”

The city manager declined to detail the full process for winnowing down the applicants, but said he expected to keep busy with phone screenings as he prepares a cadre of between four and six final candidates for interviews around Dec. 18.

Mauro emphasized the importance of filling the chief’s seat with a qualified candidate.

“I take all recruitment very seriously, but it’s probably worth mentioning how important this particular role is for our community,” Mauro said.

“I’ve asked for deeper involvement of my team as well as a number of external partners to assist with interviews – and this includes a community stakeholder panel, a management and staff panel and a law enforcement panel,” he said.

Troy Surber has served as interim chief of the Port Townsend Police Department since March. The city’s previous police chief, Mike Evans, announced his retirement back in February. Evans joined the department in 2000 and initially took over as interim chief in 2016.

In a description for the open position, the city called the job “an exceptional opportunity for a well-rounded law enforcement professional to lead a team of dedicated officers and serve the 9,500 residents of our historic seaport town.”

The salary range for the incoming chief is between $107,669 and $137,201. 

Applicants for the job are required to be a current, sworn police officer or someone who has been a sworn law enforcement officer within the last two years, plus a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible law enforcement experience, and at least five years of supervisory/managerial experience.

The city also prefers candidates with a college degree in a law enforcement-related field, as well as experience as a police chief, assistant/deputy police chief or commander in a similar-sized community.