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Residents press West Richland council on police chief's status as city moves into executive session on potential litigation
Summary
Multiple residents asked for clarity about the employment status of the West Richland police chief and pending lawsuits. The mayor said the city is awaiting a third-party fact-finding review and placed the council into an executive session under RCW; no action followed, per the public transcript.
Multiple residents used the council's Jan. 21 public-comment periods to press for information about the status of the city's police chief and several pending lawsuits.
At the first public-comment opportunity, resident Lloyd Bender said he had heard a rumor about the chief of police and asked the council to clarify the situation. At the virtual public-comment period, Nancy Aldridge said there are “three lawsuits pending against the city by the police association, a police officer, and the Wylie family” and asked whether the chief had resigned, been fired or placed on administrative leave.
Other speakers reinforced concern about leadership and transparency. Carl Baker said he wanted “a little bit more visibility” about union votes and internal department morale. Several speakers urged the city to disclose more information to both officers and the public.
Mayor (name not stated in the public transcript) responded that the city has engaged a third-party investigator and will rely on that third party for findings of fact before making public statements or decisions. "Until I get the finding of fact from a non-biased third party, we do not comment," the mayor said, according to the public transcript, and added that the city takes all allegations seriously.
After public comment the council moved into an executive session to discuss potential litigation with legal counsel under the state statute cited in the meeting: RCW 42.30.110(1)(i). The mayor said the executive session would last approximately 15 minutes and that there would be no action to follow that evening. The public transcript shows the council entered the executive session and then returned, with the mayor confirming there was no action following the session.
Why it matters: Residents and some councilmembers asked for clarity because the dispute involves litigation that could have financial implications for the city and because residents expressed concern about leadership continuity in the police department. The council emphasized its reliance on third-party fact-finding and legal counsel and said it would release findings once the investigation is complete.
Ending: The transcript records repeated public requests for information and the mayor's promise to release third-party findings. The record shows the council entered an executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) to consult legal counsel about potential litigation and that the council took no public action immediately afterward.
