Herald staff
ARLINGTON — John Gray, Lake Steven’s chief of police since 1996, will take over as the chief of the Arlington Police Department sometime next month.
Contract negotiations are underway, city administrator Kristin Banfield said Monday.
The selection comes after a long search. Steve Robinson, Arlington’s police chief for the past 11 years, announced his plans to retire in May. Gray has worked in law enforcement since 1976 and was the top choice out of 15 candidates from across the country.
"This is a very difficult decision to make, we had excellent candidates," Banfield said. "I think John’s experience and his strong belief in making the community partners … were really the two things that pointed to that selection."
Previously, Gray rose through the ranks of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy, a sergeant and a detective, as well as a seven-year member of the county’s hostage crisis negotiation team. He also served as interim police chief of Sultan for six months in 1995.
The city is refining a four-year employment contract for the new police chief. Gray’s salary has not yet been set, but the pay range will be $5,562 to $6,448 per month, Banfield said.
The contract, when finalized, will go before the city council for approval. That may happen at the council’s first meeting in October, Banfield said.
Gray, 47, lives in the Marysville area with his wife and two teenage children. He does not have to live in Arlington to be employed as a department head, but must be able to respond within 30 minutes to any emergency in town.
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