PORT ANGELES — City Manager Dan McKeen has narrowed the field of finalists for Port Angeles police chief to two candidates: Interim Chief Brian Smith and Kevin Dresker of Wenatchee.
“Those two individuals were recommended throughout the entire process, both by the community panel as well as the [department] directors panel,” McKeen said Friday.
“These were the two candidates who clearly had the higher strengths and qualities.”
The successful candidate will succeed Terry Gallagher, who served as chief from 2008 until he retired March 4.
The salary range for the position is $100,919 to $120,629, plus benefits of $6,275 to $18,750.
Four candidates — Smith; Dresker; Pet Ketchum of Nineveh, Ind.; and Harold Turner of Indianapolis — were interviewed Wednesday by a community panel and a department director panel that was composed of the senior staff the new chief would work with in his job.
Candidates attended a community reception that evening to meet members of the public and answer questions from them.
Final interviews
McKeen will conduct final interviews with Smith and Dresker within the next two to three weeks to further assess the candidates’ knowledge of strategic planning, personnel issues, budgeting and other executive-level responsibilities, according to a city news release.
McKeen said he met one-on-one with all the candidates last week — but did not ask them questions.
He left that to them.
“What they did with me, they were able to ask me questions to ascertain if we were a good fit for them,” McKeen said.
McKeen plans to announce his decision shortly after the second interviews, the city release said.
Smith has served as Port Angeles deputy police chief for more than seven years and has more than 35 years of law enforcement experience.
Smith was employed for 27 years by the National Park Service, beginning his career as a park ranger before serving as a special agent, special agent-lead instructor and regional special agent in charge.
Dresker is the security services manager for the Wenatchee health care organization Confluence Health.
The 28-year veteran of law enforcement began his career as a patrol officer with the Wenatchee Police Department.
He was promoted to captain, becoming the operations and administrative bureau commander in a city of about 33,000.
Ketchum is a lieutenant and the chief investigator for the Franklin Police Department in Indianapolis.
Turner is the district administrative-field captain for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
