OTHELLO — Dave Rehaume said the Othello Police Department is going in a positive direction, and he wants to continue and enhance that. Rehaume was hired as OPD chief last week.

Rehaume, a 34-year veteran with the OPD, started as a patrol officer. He was hired for the interim job in May, replacing retiring chief Phil Schenck, and hired for the permanent position July 3. He had been assistant chief for eight years prior to being hired as chief.

A lot of work has been done to build mutual respect between law enforcement and the community, he said, a concept he called “police legitimacy.” Rehaume said he wants to continue building on that foundation.

“Police legitimacy is a philosophy of a relationship with this community,” he said. “Working with your community. Enforcing the laws, seeing that when you enforce the laws it’s equitable and that you’re doing it with respect to all around.”

The OPD has been doing those things, he said, but he wants to continue to emphasize them. In addition, he wants to increase the opportunities for Othello residents to meet and talk with OPD officers when they’re not responding to a call or investigating a crime.

That makes people more comfortable with law enforcement officers, he said, and more willing to contact the police when necessary. Building trust also makes people more willing to be part of the judicial process, he said, willing to be witnesses and even serve on juries.

The OPD’s state accreditation is scheduled for review in 2024, and Rehaume said keeping accreditation is one of his goals.

“Only about one-third of the departments in Washington state have reached that standard,” he said. “That was very important for me to continue, and it is a department push. We have certain officers that are assigned certain things to see to so that state accreditation continues. Especially in the assistant chief position, there was a lot of work that I had to do, and I want to make sure that we continue that route.”

Rehaume said keeping police officers has been a challenge and something he wants to improve. Currently, the department has two open positions, and two officers undergoing training at the state police academy.

“The years of service that we have per officer is relatively low. One thing we’d like to do is improve that,” he said.

Rehaume wants to continue and enhance good relations with other law enforcement agencies, and improve them where they need it, he said. That starts with training, and the OPD recently completed training with some neighboring agencies, Adams County Juvenile and Othello School District officials. Additional training classes are scheduled with other agencies, including the Adams County Sheriff’s Office so that all participants are working with common procedures, he said.

There will be some changes, he said, since there always are when a new chief takes over. It’ll take some time to make those changes and to fill the supervisory position that he had as assistant chief. The department does have some options to fill that job, he said.

“But at that same time, we still need to remember our responsibility to the citizens and the taxpayers of Othello,” he said.

Rehaume said he started his law enforcement career working as a dispatcher and at the jail Othello had at the time.

“I moved back home and needed a job. I wanted something that I could make sure I could stay here,” he said.

The jail-dispatch position was open on the night shift and he took it, he said. He stayed at the jail for six months, then was offered the position of OPD patrol officer.

“I saw the officers out there, and I saw the interactions and the things that they did, and I said that was more attractive to me. To be outside and have the first contact. And be helping,” he said.

He said the chief’s job brings with it a lot of responsibility, but also opportunity.

“It is a lot of responsibility. It’s also a great milestone. I believe we have a great team, and I want to continue the path of success.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.