Twisp Mayor Hans Smith announced Officer Bryce Demmitt, who had been hired on a probationary basis under previous Chief of Police Jay King, has resigned. His first day on the job was almost two months ago- Jan. 13.
The move comes a month after the mayor dismissed King, who was also hired on probation. He was on the job almost five months. Doug Johnson, who had retired as Winthrop Marshal and moved to Spokane, was recruited as interim police chief Feb. 19 while the town continues to contract with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office for police services.
“The loss of Officer Demmitt from the Twisp Police Department will now require us to pursue hiring another new officer in the short term. Both Chief Johnson and I share the goal of hiring a new qualified lateral officer as quickly as is prudent to ensure Twisp can return to providing public safety services without reliance on contracting with the Okanogan County Sherrif,” Smith said in a statement.
Smith said he will review two lateral applications the town received in the last recruitment effort for the officer position while actively recruiting for the police chief.
King was in the process of hiring an administrative assistant. That process was terminated following his dismissal.
“Based on the recommendations of Chief Johnson and the town’s attorney, I determined a need to terminate the prior hiring process started by Chief King, and as such we will be starting a new short-term application process to once again recruit qualified candidates for this important Police Department position,” said the mayor.
The town will have an expedited application process for the administrative assistant position. Information about the position and how to apply will be available on the town’s website March 17 to March 21, after which selected candidates will be notified for an interview.
The town is also seeking volunteers to serve on the Twisp Civil Service Commission, which is required by state law. More information about the position can be found here.
Mayor Smith’s full statement is available here.
