Olympia picks new interim police chief, restarts search for permanent replacement
.jpg "The City of Olympia expects to see a Proud Boys demonstration outside City Hall on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. Olympia police aim to prevent a repeat of the violent clashes that occurred on Sept. 4 between a Proud Boys group and an Antifa group, according to a news release.")
The Olympia city manager has selected Deputy Police Chief Rich Allen to replace Interim Chief of Police Aaron Jelcick.
Jay Burney announced the appointment on Thursday in a city news release, the day Jelcick retired from the role. Allen has served as deputy chief since 2019 and has worked in law enforcement for 30 years, according to the release.
“I’m proud to lead the department through this transition,” Allen said. “I look forward to welcoming the next Chief and doing everything I can to help them be successful.”
In the release, Burney said he is excited to work with Allen as interim chief and as part of the city’s executive leadership team.
“I am grateful for Rich’s willingness to take on the Chief’s role,” Burney said. “He is an acknowledged, experienced and trusted leader within the Olympia Police Department and throughout the City of Olympia organization.”
In his 30 years of service, Allen has worked as a patrol officer, training officer, motorcycle officer and detective. At the Olympia Police Department, he has been promoted to the ranks of sergeant and lieutenant prior to serving as deputy chief.
Jelcick announced his retirement on Sept. 10, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, the Olympian previously reported. He served as interim chief since November 2019 when Chief Ronnie Roberts retired.
Since Jelcick’s appointment, the city has struggled to select a permanent replacement. In April, Jelcick was among four finalists for the job. However, the city called off its search after a news story about one of the other candidates raised questions about how well the candidates had been vetted.
The story described finalist Derrick Turner grabbing a man by the throat while he worked as an officer in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The revelation surprised Burney and the consulting firm hired by the city to run the hiring process.
When Jelcick announced his retirement, the city’s news release committed the city to a “broad, inclusive and transparent process.” The city indicated it had restarted the process to search for a permanent chief and will be selecting a new firm to conduct the search.
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 9:39 AM.
