W. Richland leaders say police are happy. So why are they pushing to oust their chief?

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West Richland leaders say they have a solution to solve the discord in the police department, but union officials say they want the chief gone.

A recent city news release celebrated “a series of initiatives” aimed at improving efficiency, communication and overall effectiveness.

“Mayor (Brent) Gerry unequivocally reaffirms his full support for Chief (Tom) Grego, who has not violated any laws, city policies or the collective bargaining agreement,” the release said.

The release came along the with results of a “climate survey” written by Janice Corbin from Sound Employment Solutions. The survey downplays complaints and concerns from city officers, and says they are having trouble adjusting to a new leadership style.

The city’s announcement came a little more than a month after the West Richland Police Officer Association voted 18-1 that they had no confidence in Chief Grego.

That has changed to a unanimous vote after the release of the climate survey report. Association President Jared Paulsen told the Herald that the final officer changed their vote following the release of the survey.

Dan Thenell, an attorney representing the union, said nothing has changed and the guild won’t be participating in any of the new programs. The only way to fix the relationship is for Grego and Gerry to resign.

“They’re just trying to save face,” Thenell said. “I’m sure they’re trying to convince the public that there is nothing to see here. Our position hasn’t changed and it’s not going to change.”

It remains unclear what the next steps are for the union. Thenell called Corbin’s report not worth more than the paper it was printed on.

“The people need to know that the officers are not happy. ... (He) needs to go,” he told the Tri-City Herald after the report came out.

Grego stepped into the chief’s position in May 2022 after more than 20 years with the department and five years as the department’s captain under former Chief Ben Majetich.

West Richland has 19 officers, not including two commanders and the chief.

The annual salary range for the position is listed as $156,000 to $204,000, according to budget documents.

The police department serves the roughly 23-square-mile city with a population of about 17,000.

Officer complaints

Issues between officers and the chief came to a head in November 2023 when officers first took a no confidence vote that totaled 11-6, according to a memo written by Paulsen.

In the memo, they accused Grego of demonstrating a pattern of “mental and emotional instability” and said he had a practice of targeting people who were critical of him.

When they spoke with Gerry in early December, the mayor agreed to have a neutral third party look into their complaints, Paulsen said.

That third party turned out to be Sound Employment Solutions, a Mukilteo-based company. While officers initially believed Janice Corbin was investigating the officers’ claims for the city, they soon discovered the city didn’t feel the complaints could be substantiated.

A February meeting with city officials, the union and Corbin ended with the officers becoming more upset. Within days, they voted 18-1 for no confidence in Grego.

While they had previously been willing to work with the city to come to an agreement, now they say the chief must leave.

Sgt. Athena Clark along with former Lt. Duane Olsen and former Sgt. Ryan Boyce provided written statements about their complaints linked to the chief’s behavior.

Clark, a 23-year veteran of the department who had been a commander, claimed she had been retaliated against for questioning the chief’s behavior and refusing to have alcohol at an event.

When she went to human resources to complain, he told her that he felt like she was betraying him.

She decided to step down from the command spot to become a sergeant.

Recently, Grego started an internal investigation concerning what the union has called a mistake on Clark’s time card.

Boyce said he had been close with Grego, but things turned sour and got personal when Grego reportedly started having marital problems. He allegedly blamed Boyce’s wife.

He disciplined Boyce for not closing a report, not wearing a COVID mask fully and failing to issue “mandatory” fireworks violation tickets. Boyce said he was held to a different standard than other officers.

“Throughout my tenure at the department, I witnessed Tom’s tendency to swiftly transition from friendship to hostility, not only with colleagues, but also with citizens and business owners in the city,” Boyce wrote.

Olsen complained about an internal investigation that needed to go to arbitration before it was resolved. He also noted that he was promoted to lieutenant in 2021 and then demoted with two days notice.

While Corbin referred to the complaints in her report, she didn’t address any of the details.

‘Climate survey’

West Richland officials shared Corbin’s final report through its Facebook page. In it, she said the association’s complaint “was not supported by evidence showing Chief Grego had violated the law, or city or department policy.”

“There was also no evidence that he engaged in any incident of misconduct. Thus, the city concluded an investigation was not warranted,” Corbin said.

She concluded the association’s entire complaint was about Clark’s demotion, and the union didn’t have any legal grounds to complain about it.

Paulsen disagreed. He told the Herald that the union is concerned about a pattern of behavior from Grego where he targets people who challenge him.

Instead of an investigation, the city asked for a survey, Corbin said. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate how well the department functions and employees communicate and interact.

As part of the survey, Corbin said she interviewed 15 union members including three of the four sergeants.

She said at least half of the officers were not there when Olsen or Boyce worked at the department. Most of the officers said they appreciated seeing Grego at morning and evening briefings. Several said they were comfortable talking with him directly.

“Still, most officers understood Chief Grego was responsible for determining department priorities and making personnel decisions,” Corbin said. “They appreciated the new equipment and felt the workload was reasonable.”

Corbin said the officers described Grego as “very loud and animated” when frustrated and others described him as being passionate.

“Unlike association President Paulsen, none of the interviewees offered evidence of Chief Grego disparaging (West Richland) officers to other law enforcement agencies,” Corbin wrote.

Thenell said the union is still waiting for an investigation into their complaints. At this point, the relationship is not salvageable.

“They (Gerry and Grego) should both resign,” Thenell said. “That is the only thing that is going to be able to reset the police department. The chief’s decision to investigate Sgt. Clark was clearly retaliatory.”