Tenino hires acting police chief after current chief experiences medical emergency
Former Tumwater Police Chief John Stines will temporarily fill in as acting police chief in Tenino, the city announced in a press release.
Stines is serving in the place of Chief Robert Swain, who on Wednesday experienced a “medical emergency” while driving a police cruiser that caused him to lose consciousness. The cruiser drifted across lanes and crashed into Scotty B’s on the corner of Old Highway 99 Southeast and Sussex Avenue East.
Swain was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, according to the city. While his injuries from the crash were not serious, the city said Thursday Swain was undergoing tests to determine what caused his blackout.
Tenino Clerk-Treasurer John Millard did not have any updates to share regarding Swain’s condition as of Friday morning.
The temporary hiring of Chief Stines is possible due to a set of unique circumstances, the city says.
A recent emergency proclamation signed by Gov. Jay Inslee waives a restriction against hiring retired public employees for the specific purpose of providing “employees with critical skills necessary to assist with and supplement the COVID-19 emergency response,” the city’s press release reads.
And, since taking over as chief in July 2018, Swain had completed a new policy manual for the department, according to the city, which includes “provisions that cover the loss of critical personnel.”
Swain enrolled Stines in Tenino’s volunteer program that helps with the police department’s administration and training programs, according to a prepared statement from Mayor Wayne Fournier, and Stines helped Swain develop policies.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime situation where application of an existing policy overlaps with emergency procedures that allow us to bring a retired Washington Police Chief on board within 24 hours of the kind of event that Chief Swain foresaw,” Clerk-Treasurer Millard said in a prepared statement.
Stines started Friday and will serve as acting police chief “as the city navigates the COVID-19 pandemic and works with Chief Swain and his family” or until the emergency proclamation expires, whichever happens first, according to the city.
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 11:26 AM.
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