The state Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) has formally revoked former Centralia Police officer Phil Reynold’s peace officer certification, The Chronicle confirmed Monday.
The order revoking Reynolds’ certification was filed Tuesday, Jan. 16.
The revoked certification means Reynolds cannot legally serve as a police, tribal or corrections officer in Washington state.
The Centralia Police Department fired Reynolds in December 2021 following an investigation into his alleged failure to properly investigate a potential vehicular assault domestic violence incident in September of that year.
The Chronicle’s previous coverage on the investigation into that incident can be read online at https://tinyurl.com/4rvdr4w8.
As of his December 2021 termination, Reynolds had four Brady disclosures — letters to the prosecutor’s office disclosing that an officer has a sustained complaint of dishonesty on their record — attached to his name, according to Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham.
Reynolds was previously terminated from the Centralia Police Department in March 2012 for a long list of alleged policy violations — including allegations of excessive use of force.
Prior to his March 2012 termination, Reynolds had already faced serious reprimands, including a two-week, unpaid suspension the previous July after an internal investigation found he excessively Tased multiple people under questionable circumstances and later lied about it, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Reynolds rehired with backpay in May 2014 following arbitration, where a private arbitrator ruled to overturn the Centralia Police Department’s decision to fire Reynolds.
The arbitrator’s decision in Reynolds’ case was final and no further appeal could be made, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
While Reynolds attempted to appeal his most-recent termination via arbitration, an arbitrator with the state Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) upheld the Centralia Police Department’s decision to fire Reynolds in a formal ruling in October of 2022.
Several months later, on Feb. 21, 2023, the CJTC filed a statement of charges against Reynolds with allegations stemming from the September 2021 incident. The charges also included allegations stemming from a June 2021 incident where Reynolds and three other officers failed to provide a timely response to a domestic violence charge.
The four officers were accused of ignoring the call for aid while they were having a crew lunch at the police station.
The Chronicle’s previous reporting on that investigation can be accessed online at https://tinyurl.com/3w57k4ew.
Charges against the other three other officers — Sgt. John Dorff and officers Michael Smerer and Jocelynn Giammalva — stemming from the June 2021 incident were filed in January 2023.
All three were decertified in August 2023.
The statement of charges filed against Reynolds alleged that, by failing to provide timely response to the domestic violence call in June 2021 and failing to investigate the domestic violence incident in September 2021, he “engaged in conduct that failed to meet the ethical and professional standards of a peace officer, jeopardized public trust in law enforcement, and demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to uphold his sworn oath to enforce the Constitution and laws of the United States and the state of Washington.”
The CJTC also alleged Reynolds “knowingly made misleading, deceptive, untrue or fraudulent representations” during the Centralia Police Department’s internal investigations into the two incidents.
Because the Centralia Police Department fired Reynolds due to misconduct, the CJTC states, Reynolds’ peace officer certification is eligible for revocation.
Reynolds requested a hearing to defend against the charges, which was held on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, 2023.
In its final order, the CJTC Commission Hearings Panel found that, while Reynolds did not “knowingly (make) misleading, deceptive, untrue or fraudulent representations” during the Centralia Police Department’s internal investigations into the two incidents, Reynolds did commit misconduct during the two incidents that qualified for his peace officer certification to be revoked.
Reynolds has 10 days from the date the order was filed to file a petition for reconsideration. He has 30 days to file a petition for judicial review. The order remains in effect while petitions are active.
