Kennewick police gets its 1st assistant chief in more than a decade

Kennewick named its first assistant police chief in more than 10 years on Thursday.

Police Commander Chris Guerrero was promoted to the position after 25 years working for the Kennewick Police Department.

The department didn’t have a second-in-command position since 2007, said Chief Ken Hohenberg said.

The chief plans to retire in February 2022, and this will give Guerrero a chance to work with him and learn more about running the 108-officer department.

City Manager Marie Mosley will decide who is hired to replace the chief.

The longtime police chief isn’t the only member of the administration leaving. Commander Scott Child retired this week.

Between Guerrero’s promotion and Child’s retirement it opened the door for several promotions. The department held a promotion ceremony Thursday.

Lt. Aaron Clem and Lt. Christian Walters became the agency’s new commanders.

Sgts. Jason Kiel and Ryan Kelly were picked to move into the lieutenant positions.