Twisp Mayor Offers King Top Job
Twisp Mayor Hans Smith has offered controversial candidate Jay King the chief of police position pending completion of required testing for the job. King was one of two candidates who interviewed for the position and had the highest level of experience, according to Smith.
In a letter posted on the town of Twisp website, Smith said King will be hired for a probationary period of at least one year, during which time he will be able to terminate his employment if he is not a good fit.
King’s hiring comes following an investigation into his tenure in Unalaska and Prosser. Okanogan County Sheriff Paul Burrow said he recommended the investigator but was not part of the investigative process. Smith said the offer he extended to King is the result of two months of work that included interviewing King twice as well as an extensive background check.
Smith said King was “very transparent, very calm, very professional” during the interview process. He introduced King at a community meet and greet during the Twisp Council meeting on Tuesday evening. King spoke at length about his background, controversies in his prior two positions, and answered questions from attendees.
King resigned from an eight month tenure in Prosser following a vote of no-confidence by the police union. King clarified the vote consisted of six people, the amount of full-time officers who were not on probation. In their letter to the Prosser City Council, the Teamsters union claimed King created a toxic work environment, poorly prioritized the allocation of city funds and resources, and violated safety practices by not carrying a loaded magazine or wearing body armor. The union accused him of making traffic stops without following radio protocol, leading to dispatchers calling other units to locate him and check his status.
King said an investigation cleared him of all accusations except for not wearing a seat belt and body cam (which he did not have to wear) and not wearing a ballistic vest. He said he wore a utility belt with two magazines. King said the police department had preconceived notions of him that he did not address early enough in his tenure and he relied too much on other people getting to know him.
“We could have done a lot of good for Prosser,” said King.
Prior to Prosser, King was Director of the City of Unalaska Department of Public Safety for two years. Four separate lawsuits were filed for events prior to King’s arrival. Issues included harassment, bullying and wrongful termination. The city settled the lawsuits for $765,000. King said he was not a defendant in any of the cases and local coverage unfairly blamed him for events before his arrival. However, Unalaska news outlet KUCB reports King was accused of ignoring complaints of harassment and overlooking misconduct.
King said he champions community policing. He said he gives two warnings for every ticket he issues. He has also been involved in numerous nonprofit organizations in the communities he has served.
King was born and raised in Alabama and served for 26 years on the police department in Montgomery prior to moving to Unalaska. He has a Bachelors and Master’s of Science in Justice and Public Safety from Auburn University. He said he is unmarried and has no children.
At a public comment period prior to the meet and greet, some residents expressed concern about King while others focused on the urgency of hiring a new police chief, a position which has been vacant since Budrow took the helm of the county sheriff’s office in early 2023.
One resident asked if council members would resign if King created financial or legal liability for the town while Twisp resident Dennis Doyle said the need for a police chief was so great that “a police dog in uniform walking down the street would be an asset.”
Smith balanced the urgency of finding a police chief with finding a qualified candidate.
“I really can’t stand sitting here in fire season looking at the type of potential public emergencies we could be facing and not having a professional law enforcement person that is on staff here to help protect us, to help coordinate our emergency response.”
Budrow, who was on the hiring committee, said, “We have to give him a chance.” Budrow said King knows how to do the job but will oversee every call and “hold his feet to the fire.”
Council Member Katrina Auburn said, “I do trust in our system and the vetting process.”
Smith said he would like King to start his position “as soon as possible” upon completion of the required testing.