Liberty Lake commission tables police interview questions after members cite mental-health gap

At a February meeting, the Liberty Lake Civil Service Commission for the Liberty Lake Police Department tabled review of proposed corporal and lateral interview questions until its March meeting, after commissioners identified a missing question about supervising an officer’s mental health and said not all members had reviewed the documents.

The action matters because the interview questions are part of the hiring and promotion process for department ranks; commissioners said they wanted a full review before adopting them.

During new business, the presiding commissioner noted the packet included proposed corporal and lateral interview questions and asked whether members had reviewed them. The presiding commissioner said, "There's nothing in there about asking a supervisor about, managing his officer's mental health." The presiding commissioner added that the commission’s police foundation is offering a "Clint Gibson Memorial Scholarship" tied to student writing about mental health, which underscored the topic’s local attention.

Commissioner Webster said she had emailed the questions earlier but that she did not receive them because her email had been down; she told the commission, "I didn't get them. Oh. I emailed them back in." Commissioners said only two members were present for the meeting, and the presiding commissioner said they had a quorum but not enough members to proceed with substantive approval: "I don't really know how to do this knowing that we do have a quorum, but we don't have 3 to where I don't feel that it's appropriate." Citing those concerns, the presiding commissioner moved to table the item; Commissioner Webster moved and the presiding commissioner seconded the formal motion to table item 5B until the March meeting. The motion passed.

Procedural business at the meeting also included excusing Commissioner Maria Hatcher, who could not get off work. Commissioner Webster moved to excuse Hatcher; the presiding commissioner seconded, and the motion passed with the two commissioners voting in the affirmative. The commission approved minutes from the Dec. 12 meeting after a motion by Commissioner Webster and a second by the presiding commissioner. There were no public comments, and the commission did not hold an executive session.

The commission will revisit the corporal and lateral interview questions at its March meeting for further review with full participation.