Battle Ground City Manager Erin Erdman has appointed Michael McCabe to serve as interim police chief following the retirement of former Chief Mike Fort earlier this month.
McCabe currently serves as the chief administrative deputy with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. His temporary appointment with the Battle Ground Police Department was approved through an interlocal agreement between the sheriff’s office and the City of Battle Ground on Jan. 2, a release by the city stated.
He will serve the Battle Ground Police Department part time until a permanent replacement is selected, the city added.
“I am thankful to Clark County and to Sheriff Horch for the assistance during this time of transition for the City of Battle Ground,” Erdman said. “We welcome interim Chief McCabe. With his extensive knowledge, skills and familiarity with our community, I am confident he will help make this transition as smooth as possible for the department and the city.”
Interim Chief McCabe has 34 years of law enforcement experience, 30 years of which have been with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. He has served in a variety of administrative and management roles including police frontline operations, corrections, training, communications management and specialty assignments such as the school resource officer program, SWAT and crisis negotiations team.
“The Clark County Sheriff’s Office and City of Battle Ground have always had a strong relationship, and we understand that we are all part of one community, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries,” Sheriff John Horch said. “We are always willing to help our partnering police agencies when asked. We know that Chief Michael McCabe will do an excellent job as interim chief while the city finalizes its official selection.”
The city remains in the process of selecting the permanent police chief. A nationwide search was conducted by GMP Consultants and interviews with five top candidates took place on Dec. 8. One candidate is currently in the background phase of the hiring process, the city stated.
