Palouse again advertises for third police officer

Palouse city council approved advertising for the position of police officer at the council’s Dec. 11 meeting.

The department, which also covers Garfield in an agreement between the two towns, now has two full-time officers with a reserve officer, following the departure of Officer Joe Handley to the Colfax Police Department in October.

Reserve Officer Terry Snead is set to leave at the end of February.

Advertising an open position does not commit the department to hiring a third officer.

Palouse mayor Michael Echanove said he wants to ensure the department is running as optimally as it can before bringing in someone else.

“We want to have coverage. There’s multiple ways to accomplish that,” Echanove said. He referred to options such as using part-time officers.

Between Palouse and Garfield, Police Chief Jerry Neumann’s Palouse department provides coverage for about 1,700 people.

In March, the department hired Joel Anderson to replace Joe Merry, who retired.

Author Bio

Garth Meyer, Former reporter

Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.

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