Former Centralia Police Chief Carl Nielsen served his last day June 1.
The Centralia Police Department is in need of its 24th chief of police, and in the midst of the city’s search for a replacement, it was dealt a couple curveballs.
Back in early March, Centralia City Manager Rob Hill had intended to roll out a plan of action to the Centralia City Council to begin the search for the city’s next police chief. His hope was that a plan would be established by the end of the month.
But that was squashed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hill said the pandemic has created an environment in which carrying out a thorough search for candidates is next to impossible.
“I am not going to address a permanent appointment of police chief until we are out of the COVID crisis and can see where we stand operationally and financially, and I can give the appointment process the attention it deserves,” Hill said.
Former police chief Carl Nielsen’s contract expired on June 1. Assistant Chief Stacy Denham was appointed as the interim chief at the city council meeting on May 26.
Hill, along with other city council members, spoke highly of Denham.
“Mr. Denham has proven that he is fully capable of taking the reigns as police chief in the interim,” Hill said.
On the same day of Denham’s appointment, another culture-shifting moment arose.
On May 26, protests sprouted in Minneapolis in honor of George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis who died while white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Since then, protests have occurred in cities in all 50 states to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, which in addition to shedding light on social inequality also looks to bring attention to police brutality.
On Monday in Chehalis, more than 300 people showed up at the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis to show their support in the fight against social inequality and police brutality.
The magnitude of support at the demonstrations across the nation and locally beg the question: Do the protests have an impact on the type of candidate Centralia will be looking for?
Councilor Cameron McGee said that many of the themes of the protests were already impacting what the city was looking for before the demonstrations started.
“Honestly for me, something that has always been a top priority is finding someone that is fair and just,” McGee said.
He added that he would like to see the next police chief be similar to Nielsen in his community outreach efforts and “someone that’s not trying to spend money on gear that we don’t need and spending more time with the community.”
Councilor Peter Abbarno noted that the council has a limited role in the selection process for any staffing decisions and that the decision will largely be up to Hill.
But with that being said, like McGee, community outreach is at a high priority for Abbarno.
“You want a person in that role who is understanding and respectful of different points of view,” Abbarno said. “That’s what you want, someone who follows the law, enforces the law, but is also compassionate and involved in the community.”
Abbarno added: “When you look at someone like Stacy Denham who is the interim chief, you have someone who fits that role.”
Both Abbarno and McGee also said that they would invite the public to voice their thoughts to the city council now, while the search is on pause, and in the following months when the search is expected to pick up again.
“These discussions, whether or not they influence a decision or not, are always important to have,” Abbarno said.
McGee had a similar point of view.
“Please come to council meetings,” McGee said, noting that right now, meetings are held virtually. “In the meantime, please watch the council meetings, send in comments, write us emails, give us phone calls. All of our information is on the city website and we’d love for you guys to speak out.”
McGee added that he would like to see more community engagement in general, whether it be related to the next police chief or any other reason.
Hill said he suspects the search could resume in July or August, assuming Lewis County has already reached Phase 4 of Washington’s “Safe Start” reopening plan, but ultimately the pandemic passing will determine when the search can begin.
