MATTAWA – As a first order of business at the Mattawa City Council's meeting of Jan. 3, Mayor Judy Esser announced that Interim Police Chief John Turley would soon be on the job.

She was correct, the former Grant County undersheriff was sworn in to his office on Jan. 8 and is on the job. And he's happy to be back in Grant County, where he served more than a decade in the sheriff's department.

“I spent a lot of years in this area,” he said.

Turley was a sudden hire to fill the vacancy left by the resigning Steve Jensen. The city continued an on-going civil service hiring process into the future after Turley called and offered his services.

Turley was living in Las Vegas and didn't learn that Mattawa was looking for a chief until late in the game. When he called, the mayor realized he was probably the best candidate.

Esser hired Turley as “interim” chief to get around the civil service process. At the time, she said the city had been without a chief long enough and needed to fill the position.

Turley started his career as a reserve deputy undersheriff in San Bernardino County, Calif. in 1989. He became a Grant County Sheriff's patrol deputy in 1997, chief of detectives in 2003 and undersheriff in 2008.

Turley knows the Mattawa area, the people who populate it and speaks Spanish. He will be paid $68,000 per year for half a year. Esser hopes he will apply for permanent duty.