Richland was expected to announce new police chief finalists in June. What happened?

Richland will take another month to find a new police chief after asking for additional time to recruit candidates.

City officials initially planned to name the finalists by the middle of June, but a decision to extend the application deadline has pushed that announcement out by a month, said Hollie Alexander, the city spokeswoman.

The city now plans to have finalists ready to meet the public by the middle of July.

The city is in the middle of its second search to replace former police Chief Brigit Clary, who announced her retirement last September. The city has been without a permanent person in the position since the end of 2023.

Initially the city hired the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to conduct the search. The agency came back with two finalists, and the city rejected both.

A second search started in April, and was expected to wrap up in four months. This one has been led by California-based Mosiac Public Partners.

The company has conducted searches for police executives across the country from South Miami to King County.

Richland’s police chief heads a department of 73 commissioned officers and 22 professional staff.

The position pays between $149,000 and $208,000 a year, according to information from Mosaic.

This story was originally published June 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM.