Yakima City Manager to Announce New Police Chief Today

A news release from City Hall says Yakima City Manager Cliff Moore will announce his choice to become Yakima’s next police chief during a news conference today (Friday) at 1 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Yakima City Hall, 129 N. Second St.

Five candidates were chosen from an original pool of 23 applicants. Last Thursday, the candidates were interviewed by four separate panels. One of the panels was made up of law enforcement professionals, one consisted of members of unions that represent Yakima Police Department staff, one panel was comprised of community members, and one panel included senior city staff members.  Each candidate was also individually interviewed by Moore.

Moore's choice for chief must still pass psychological and polygraph testing and undergo a comprehensive background check before officially joining the city.

The Yakima police chief oversees a department that includes about 190 total employees. The total 2019 YPD budget is just over $30 million.