Wenatchee, East Wenatchee Weigh Shared Police Chief To Lead Both Departments
The cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee are considering a joint police chief role to head both city police departments. Wenatchee Police Chief Edgar Reinfeld has been appointed as city administrator, creating a vacancy for Wenatchee.
The proposal would name East Wenatchee Police Chief Rick Johnson as the joint chief for both departments, but each police force would maintain its independence.
Wenatchee Police Captain Brian Chance is second in command but says he isn't worried about the impact for his department.
"Day in and day out, I don't see too much significant change for myself and Capt. Miller at the Wenatchee Police Department other than a little more involvement in making sure things run smoothly in the city of Wenatchee."
East Wenatchee's mayor, Jerrilea Crawford, says she is aware of concerns about department autonomy or that the agreement could be a precursor to a merger between the two agencies.
"The rumor mill out there is that this is just a step towards a merged police department. That's not the intent of this. It is really to create some efficiencies."
Wenatchee Mayor Mike Poirier says if it is approved, the interlocal agreement would continue through 2027, and either city council can move to end the plan, independent of the other council's wishes.
The Wenatchee City Council will consider the interlocal agreement creating the joint chief arrangement during its meeting Thursday, August 13th. East Wenatchee will vote on the agreement Tuesday, August 18th.
Wenatchee would pay about two-thirds of the cost for the joint chief's position, including salary, benefits, and equipment, while East Wenatchee would fund the remainder. The pro-rated formulas are based on the department size and higher number of service calls in the larger city of Wenatchee. Crawford says the proportional arrangement would reduce costs for both cities
If approved by both councils, the agreement would install Johnson as joint chief as early as next month.