BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The process for selecting Bellingham’s new police chief has concluded — but without yielding a new chief.
Mayor Seth Fleetwood announced Monday the process will begin again late this fall.
He said there had been a robust recruitment process and while there were several strong candidates, none met the City’s and community’s vision for the future of the Bellingham Police Department.
Fleetwood added that, in addition to initiating a new recruitment process, the balance of the year will include important steps for law enforcement, including the City considering a police oversight model and strategy and reviewing the local impacts of 13 police-related bills approved by the Legislature.
Interim Police Chief Flo Simon, who had originally planned to retire this summer, has agreed to stay on through the end of the year.