Interim chief will lead Enumclaw force

Published 3:58 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

By Kevin Hanson, The Courier-Herald

The city of Enumclaw will bring in a temporary replacement to lead its police force when Chief Bruce Weigel retires at the end of this month, then dedicate the spring to conducting a formal search for a permanent replacement.

City administration and members of the City Council agreed to the plan during an executive session (closed to the public) Jan. 12.

The city has employed Waldron Resources of Seattle to assist with the replacement process.

The first thing Waldron did was recommend the city employ Jake Evans effective Jan. 30. Evans retired as the city of Auburn's police chief in 1994, but has remained active, working as a consultant and filling temporary administrative positions with a variety of police departments. Since retiring, he has served interim positions with the Washington communities of Snohomish, Port Townsend and Medical Lake.

Evans has 36 years experience in law enforcement, all in this state. He began as an officer with the Shelton Police Department, then moved to Lacey, where he advanced to the rank of sergeant. From there, Evans joined the Thurston County Sheriff's Department, remaining until he took the head job with the Auburn force.

While in Enumclaw, Evans will initially evaluate all facets of police department, City Administrator Mark Bauer said. He'll have 30 days to issue his report. Then, as the process winds down, Evans will assist with the process of selecting a new chief, Bauer added.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald