PORT ANGLES — The City of Port Angeles has selected police officer Zac Moore to be the city’s new downtown resource officer.
Moore will take on the new role sometime in May, according to Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith.
“Specific scheduling details are still being worked out, but we hope to have him out there by the beginning of May,” Smith said.
Moore is a Port Angeles High School graduate who previously worked for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department before he joined the Port Angeles Police Department in 2016.
In his time with the PAPD, he earned recognition as a relief supervisor and the PAPD’s second-highest award, the Meritorious Service Medal. Moore was off duty on Monday and could not be reached for comment.
In his new role, Moore will work to re-establish a standard by building relationships with downtown business owners, property owners and residents.
The city hasn’t had a downtown resource officer since 2013 due to the inability to consistently fund the position.
Since then, the downtown has seen a rise in vandalism, break-ins and thefts from downtown businesses.
In a letter to the City Council, Kevin Gallacci, general manager for Clallam Transit, said the Gateway Transit Center has had continuous property damage and vehicle thefts from its garage.
Moore will be stationed in an office at the Gateway Center.
In the past year, there has been an effort by the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce and partners with Elevate PA to re-establish the downtown resource officer role, with several businesses committing $45,000 to $50,000 to help fund the position.
In January, Clallam Transit committed $125,000 to the position over the next four years, and the City of Port Angeles committed $60,000 from its general fund.
“We appreciate the support from the community to bring this resource back again,” Smith said.
The process to bring Moore into the role was an internal one, according to Smith, who said the police department wanted to give interested officers and staff time to consider it.
“We asked our officers to provide a letter of interest and their resume, which created a months-long internal conversation among our staff and ultimately culminated in Moore being the only person available and interested in the position,” Smith said.
PAPD is now working on the process to fill Moore’s position as a patrol officer. The new officer likely will be a lateral hire from another department or a recruit from the law enforcement academy.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.
