SNOHOMISH – A former police chief of Marysville and Mountlake Terrace has finalized a contract with Snohomish to lead the city’s police department for the next three years.
John Turner, who has about 36 years of experience in law enforcement, has served as interim police chief since February.
His contract will run through Sept. 1, 2010. His salary will be about $100,000 annually, plus benefits.
The City Council approved the contract on Tuesday.
Turner couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Turner replaced former Police Chief Gordon Wiborg, who resigned in December. Wiborg stepped down while under investigation for sending romantic messages to an officer he supervised, records show.
“Since Chief Turner has been on board, I think we’ve seen a big change in morale,” said Jeff Shelton, president of the Snohomish Police Officer’s Guild.
“We seem to be communicating better with” people in the community, Shelton said.
The police department has 21 commissioned officer positions. It has suffered a staff shortage, partly because officers have been hired by other agencies.
Earlier this year, the city considered options to deal with a police shortage. Those options included contracting with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for police service.
In June, the city decided to keep Turner as interim police chief, hoping that his experience and leadership skills would improve the situation at the department.
Turner has reached out to the community, city manager Larry Bauman said. The department is now two officers short, Bauman said.
“He’s doing an exceptional job,” Bauman said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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