Jim Kelly resigned as Woodland’s police chief effective Friday, Sept. 6. Kelly had previously served as a Washington State Patrol trooper for 28 years and was appointed as chief on June 13, 2017.
In an agreement with the city, Kelly will remain on payroll until mid-December. Last week, Woodland Mayor Todd Dinehart said Kelly’s retirement came after conversations between the two.
“So, [Kelly] and I had conversations… I always look at the first thing [as] what’s the best for the community of Woodland? It’s not about an individual person [or] an individual in the community. [It’s about] the community as a whole … [additionally], also looking at the guild and what’s best for the individuals within the department. [Kelly] and I had conversations and on Friday the sixth, he gave his retirement notification, which I accepted,” Dinehart said. “I appreciate his seven years [for] leading our police force and being our chief of police.”
In a Monday, Sept. 16 meeting, the City Council unanimously appointed Lt. Robert Gibbs as interim chief. Gibbs will be given a monthly salary of $10,418 and will remain until a permanent chief is chosen.
Gibbs served seven years in the U.S. Army and was hired as a patrol officer for the Woodland Police Department in 2015. Around five years later, he was promoted as a patrol sergeant and was promoted to lieutenant shortly after. Gibbs said that Kelly encouraged him to apply should the position become open. Following Kelly’s resignation, Dinehart called Gibbs and asked him. City councilors Melissa Doughty and Carol Rounds, who interviewed Gibbs for the interim chief position, spoke highly of his experience. Gibbs could not attend the meeting due to a planned vacation that day. Afterward, he said he felt happy after receiving the City Council’s praise.
“Monday’s council meeting was also kind of a surprise to me because there [were] some citizens that went up and spoke on my behalf. A couple of them, I’ve never had direct conversation with, and then our three sergeants all showed up. … One of them trained me personally, and to hear them talk about my leadership and my capabilities and now they were more than willing to follow my leadership, it was overwhelming,” Gibbs said.
That sergeant, Terry Casey, trained Gibbs when he first arrived to serve Woodland. Following Gibbs’ appointment, Casey told The Reflector that the interim chief exhibits the honesty and integrity Woodland’s force needs and is a staunch supporter of the U.S. Constitution.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him curse a suspect,” Casey noted regarding Gibbs’ professionalism in the field.
Dinehart said he plans to speak with both Gibbs and members of the police guild to understand if Gibbs is a good fit. Dinehart expects the process to take no longer than 90 days.
“I want to have conversations with the guild. I want to have conversations with Gibbs here, have conversations with the community and find out and make sure that, hey, this is the right thing for the community,” Dinehart said.
Gibbs’ first goal as interim chief is to fill three vacant positions within the department. To fill Woodland’s needs, Gibbs aims to hire and interview applicants for two patrol officers and a school resource officer position. The department is in the process of promoting one patrol officer to detective.
