WAPATO, Wash. (AP) - A specially commissioned report on the Wapato Police Department in April identified significant changes needed to improve its efficiency and bring the department up to date on policies and protocols.
But police leadership said they expected that and wanted the feedback.
“The only way to make effective change in an organization is to have an honest and objective assessment,” said Sgt. Mike Deccio, a veteran officer with the department who also is the city’s acting interim police chief. “It’s not easy to look at one’s shortcomings, but it was essential to make change.”
Wapato’s former police chief Dominic Rizzi arranged for the comprehensive review of the police department’s operations through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which published the assessment in April 2019. Rizzi was fired without cause by then Mayor Dora Alvarez-Roa in August.
The 64-page report, obtained by the Yakima Herald-Republic through a public records request, found that police officers generally knew proper protocols but were working with less-than-ideal staffing levels and outdated policies in an old and possibly hazardous police station.
Among issues identified:
• Problems with police staffing levels and high leadership turnover.
• A property room “in complete disarray,” with improperly logged and stored evidence and no trained staff to handle police public records requests.
• Outdated policies, including those covering use of force, officer code of conduct and child abuse, as well as nonexistent policies for handling hate crimes, elder abuse, or identity theft.
• A need for training refreshers on topics ranging from proper handling of evidence and public records to racial profiling, use of force, and domestic violence and mental health-related calls.
• A possibly hazardous work environment for officers operating in a police station almost 100 years old.
LEMAP review
Steven Strachan, executive director for the law enforcement agency, wrote in the report that the findings were meant to serve as a guide to identify areas to strengthen. He said he greatly appreciated the “openness and cooperation” from the Wapato police officers during site visits in February for the operational review.
“The members of Wapato Police Department are eager to transform their agency into a relevant, contemporary law enforcement agency,” Strachan wrote.
But Strachan also noted that vacancies of records specialists and property room custodians made the evaluation challenging, with evaluators assembling pieces of the police department’s operations “like a puzzle, with vague and incomplete information.”
Deccio said fixing many of the issues identified in the review will require time, money and staffing, and so will need to be addressed in a five-year plan.
He added that the department has made progress on some of the recommendations, including hiring staff experienced in police operations and working with a consultant to start cleaning up the department’s evidence room.
Police staffing and training
The Wapato Police Department has had six police chiefs over the past five years, something unheard of in Washington law enforcement, the report said.
Officers told evaluators that local elected officials’ meddling with police department operations had factored into that instability.
“The damage done to the structure and confidence of department members is unfortunate and palpable for those left behind,” the report noted. “The meddling must stop or the town will arrive at crossroads where contracting with Yakima County for police services will intersect with managing their own police department.”
The report noted the department has nine officer positions - the police chief, two sergeants and six officers - but that only three of the six officer positions were filled by sworn officers at the time of the report.
Department policy aims to have two officers on duty at any time, but the low levels of officer staffing meant that could only happen if officers work overtime, the report said. Also of concern were shifts where officers had to rely on an on-call supervisor, which the report said was not realistic in an emergency.
The report also pointed to a lack of 24-hour coverage, with Yakima County sheriff’s deputies covering shifts from 2 to 6 a.m.
The report noted that the department lacks essential training for officers, including refresher classes on nonlethal measures approved by the department and use-of-force guidelines.
The department also needs to ensure all staff are up to date on training for encounters with people with mental health issues and handling domestic violence calls, evaluators concluded. They also pointed to a need for training on avoiding racial profiling.
Deccio said training is a continual process. Last year, the department adopted the domestic violence investigation protocol recommended by the Yakima County Prosecutor’s Office. The Yakima Police Department also assisted with officer training.
“We continue to work with them for additional updates, along with finding individualized training for our officers,” Deccio said.
Deccio added that the city’s switch to a new insurance carrier, Cities Insurance Association of Washington, might help connect officers to new training opportunities.
Records and property room evidence
The report noted the release of public information under the city’s former administration was only done with review and permission from the former City Administrator Juan Orozco.
Orozco resigned in July as part of a settlement agreement with the state attorney general, who had sued in June, alleging Orozco had created and used the $95,000-a-year administrator position to unjustly enrich himself.
The report noted that none of the department’s current officers had been trained to handle public records requests related to police matters. The department also had been without an evidence technician since August 2018. No audits of the property room had been conducted since at least 2012 - or possibly at all, the report noted.
During the February site visit, evaluators noted the property room was “in complete disarray,” with the main intake area littered with surplus police property, uniform supplies, abandoned weight room equipment and “what appeared to be possible evidence that had not been properly marked, recorded, or securely submitted,” according to the report.
Deccio said Rizzi was able to hire a police support lead and a police support specialist for the department prior to his termination. Both employees are experienced in police operations and have helped the department address police records management and public information requests, Deccio said.
He said the department also has contracted with a private consultant to work with the police support specialist to start cleaning up the evidence room, which he said he anticipates will take about a year.
Julie Jacobs, Wapato’s new police support specialist, served for 15 years with the Yakima Police Department.
Jacobs described the difference between the city’s property room now and when she first started in April as “night and day.” When she arrived, she said boxes and bags were stacked 5 feet high. Now, evidence rests in labeled boxes inside the secured room and the adjoining room also has been cleaned and organized.
Her primary job for the last several months has been tagging, sorting, organizing and inventorying what’s in the room. Another challenge was fixing the department’s computer system.
“It was really working to get a handle on what was in there,” she said. “It’s a work in progress, but I love the support I’m getting from the command staff.”
The police station
The report noted the Wapato Police Department facility was built almost 100 years ago and has not had any major upgrades.
Evaluators described the building as “dark, cold, and very well worn” and “not welcoming to the public.” They also said the building was in desperate need of a remodel, with substandard workspaces that could possibly contain hazardous materials or environmental toxins.
Deccio said the department is exploring options for a different building to house the police department.
Moving forward
Wapato Mayor Keith Workman was not available prior to publication of this article.
Although the comprehensive review said officers felt the city’s previous administration had meddled with the department’s affairs, Deccio said he has enjoyed working with Workman.
“I have found that he is giving me the flexibility to guide the department with an amount of oversight that seems to work well for both of us.”
Deccio was optimistic about the department’s future.
“The Wapato Police Department is improving on a daily basis, and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for us this year,” he said.
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