Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Palouse Police Department has a new full-time officer. Joseph Handley, 25, started Monday, May 4, arriving in Palouse from Sedro-Woolley where he worked for the Upper Skagit Police Department.
A North Kitsap High School graduate and veteran, Handley was hired by Upper Skagit after serving in the Army with duty in Iraq. He is certified as a K-9 handler although the Palouse department does not have a dog.
Palouse Chief Jerry Neumann and officer Joe Merry interviewed two candidates for the position, with
Chief Neumann said that many who expressed interest were not qualified because the department was looking for an officer who has already gone through police academy.
Handley will replace Officer Terry Snead, who re-retired after spending the past two years with the Palouse Department as a three-fourths time officer.
Handley will now operate in a “field training” mode for an undetermined amount of time.
“Whatever it takes,” said Neumann. “Sometimes two to three weeks, or up to six months if it’s a large department. He’s fully certified to serve the Palouse and Garfield communities, but he has to learn the streets, learn our ordinances. You get placed on the moon, you’ve got to find out where the craters are.”
The Palouse department also serves the town of Garfield in an agreement between the two cities.
Handley is set to appear in Garfield’s May Day parade Saturday, May 16.
“I think he’s been assigned to pick up cones and replace barricades,” Neumann said.
Handley joins the department at a time when two new police vehicles are in use. In the past two months, the department has replaced a Dodge Durango – which was totaled in an accident – and a Dodge Charger with engine problems and 100,000 miles on it.
The department surplused that and bought two 2013 Dodge Journey vehicles at auction.
Neumann reported savings on fuel already, as the new vehicles get about 24 mph while the Durango, at least, only got 11.
Palouse city council approved the search for a new full-time officer March 24, after Snead submitted his resignation, effective April 30.
One of the reasons for the council to agree to a full-time officer was because Merry plans to retire sometime in the next five years. This way the new officer may ultimately succeed Merry.
Palouse’s policing contract with Garfield pays for the third officer.
If Garfield does not renew the policing contract which expires in December 2017 – then, as Neumann explained to the city council, Palouse could lay off the third officer and return to a format of two police officers solely for Palouse.
The new member’s salary begins at $3,000 per month plus benefits.
The hiring follows a period of police reduction for Palouse which began in 2012 when Officer Brian Dentler was reduced from full-time to three-quarter time due to budget constraints.
A year later Dentler was hired for a position at Washington State University, and Snead replaced Dentler in the three-quarter time slot.
The Garfield-Palouse officers are responsible for coverage for 1,600 residents in the two towns.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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