Oak Harbor police roll out 2025–29 strategic plan, cite staffing and low survey response as top implementation challenges

Chief Selick, Oak Harbor police chief, told the Police Community Advisory Board on March 5 that the department completed a five-year strategic plan covering 2025–2029 and revised its mission and values. “The Oak Harbor Police Department is dedicated to community safety through proactive law enforcement and community engagement,” Selick read, adding the department will “strive to uphold the values of respect, integrity, and excellence while protecting the lives and property of all those who live, work, and visit our community.”

The new mission and values were produced after four department meetings that invited staff participation; Captain Barton led much of the drafting work, Selick said. Board members said they will receive printed copies once the department posts the plan on the city website.

The nut graf: the plan establishes priorities for the next five years but department leaders said implementation will depend on hiring, community feedback and several new operational tools. That combination — a strategic plan plus limited staffing and low community survey response — frames what the department can deliver in proactive community policing.

Selick discussed results from a public safety survey open July through December that yielded only 10 responses. He described the response rate as “very low,” and said the department used multiple outreach channels — online forms, paper copies at city hall and the police department, a city mailer included with water bills, social media posts and QR codes at events such as July 4 and National Night Out — with limited return. The department plans to shorten the survey and keep an open form year-round to gather annual data.

Survey highlights Selick reported: 66% of respondents said they live inside city limits, 34% live elsewhere on Whidbey Island; the top five safety concerns were homelessness (83%), drug abuse, burglaries and thefts, and traffic issues. Selick said perception of safety is a concern: roughly a third of respondents said they felt safe, and combined “stayed the same” and “decreased” responses place a majority in the neutral-to-worsening perception range.

Staffing numbers and operational impacts were a central focus. Selick said the department is authorized for 34 positions and currently has seven vacancies: two lieutenant slots and five line-officer vacancies. He reported one applicant in background review, one in the police academy and one in field training. He said patrol squads currently consist of a sergeant plus three officers and the department plans to add one officer to each squad to reduce overtime and increase community contact. Last year the department hired 10 people and expects to hire seven more this year, Selick added.

On discretionary time — the hours officers use for traffic stops, field interviews, park checks and community engagement — Selick said limited staffing and greater demands responding to calls (including expanded duties responding to mental-health crises) have reduced those opportunities. He called for improved tools and staffing to restore proactive engagement.

The department has purchased professional-standards software and a public portal that will allow residents to submit compliments or complaints online; Selick said the portal will appear on the police department’s updated web pages.

“I love this mission statement. I think it's descriptive, and it is succinct, and I think it's perfect,” Member K. Powers told the board when the mission was read aloud.

Ending: Board members asked for the raw survey data and Selick said he and staff will circulate it once department staff (Meg/Maggie) provide the electronic copy; the results will also be folded into the department’s annual report.