MATTAWA - Mayor Judy Esser has four applicants, ranked by the order of their civil service testing results, from which to choose a new police chief.

There were seven applicants at the start of the hiring process. Three of them, including a woman from California, dropped out before the civil service exam.

Ranked No. 1 after the testing is Lee Reed of Wilbur. Esser is not required to choose him. She can also choose from among No. 2 Robert Girod of Ft. Wayne, Ind., No. 3 Michael Kandoll of Las Cruces, N.M. And No. 4 Jeffrey St. John of Ellensburg.

The testing scores were very close, with a little more than two points separating the candidates.

No matter whom Esser chooses, the hiring won't be a done deal at that point. The police chief-elect will still have to go through a background check, a polygraph test and psychological evaluation.

Lee has 26 years of experience. He was the police chief at Asotin and is currently an officer with the Colville Tribal Police.

Girod recently retired from the Ft. Wayne PD after serving 23 years. He was a supervisor of detectives.

Kandoll has been the police chief of Raymond. He was the police chief at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. He has worked as a military policeman and deputy sheriff.

St. John is a police officer at Central Washington University.