SNOHOMISH – Gordon Wiborg, deputy police chief in North Palm Beach, Fla., will start as the city’s new police chief Jan. 10, hoping to stem a high turnover of officers and work more closely with the community.
“I believe in getting out to the community and listening to what their needs are. Too often, we just talk and tell the community what they need,” said Wiborg, 49, whose annual pay will be $82,500.
City manager Larry Bauman announced Wiborg’s appointment Wednesday after interviewing four finalists out of the initial 37 applicants last week. The position had been open since Rob Sofie, the former chief, left the position in June because of leadership problems, including low morale and complaints among officers.
“He comes from a small-community background and he really understands small towns such as Snohomish,” Bauman said of Wiborg, a Minnesota native.
Bauman said he chose Wiborg partly because of his communication skills and ability to become involved in the community.
“He is definitely not someone who wants to sit behind the desk,” Bauman said.
Chuck Macklin, who had served as interim chief after Sofie’s departure and was also a finalist, will return to his duties as deputy chief, Bauman said.
Under the new leadership, the city will try to build a community policing program, Mayor Liz Loomis said. The idea is to involve residents and business people in policing through such things as neighborhood Block Watch groups, she said.
One of the biggest challenges ahead of him is to recruit and keep good officers at the 20-officer department, Wiborg said.
“We have to go out and find high-quality people,” he said, adding that he also needs to be “frugal and responsible with taxpayers’ money.”
Wiborg has 25 years of experience in law enforcement. Most recently, he has worked in the public safety department in North Palm Beach, which consists of police, fire and emergency medical service departments. His duties included supervising patrol officers, a police canine unit and a 40-officer SWAT team operated by several agencies, Wiborg said.
In Snohomish, Wiborg said he would like to start by getting to know officers rather than making sweeping changes immediately.
“I’d rather be slow and deliberate and listen to what the officers’ needs are and be sensitive to the officers’ needs,” he said.
Randy Spoo, a downtown business owner, was a member of the community panel that included residents, business owners, a council member and an officer who interviewed the finalists and reported back to Bauman.
Spoo said he expects Wiborg to make regular contacts with businesses and residents in the city, which the former chief didn’t do much. “He is going to be much more open and approachable,” Spoo said.
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