Aaron Garza selected as Othello Police Chief
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 hours, 25 minutes AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | January 20, 2026 5:35 PM
OTHELLO — New Othello Police Chief Aaron Garza said he likes serving his community.
“I have a strong sense of service, and that formulated when I decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. I was in the Marine Corps for four years, and being able to serve was something that instilled a lot of pride and a lot of duty inside of me,” he said.
Garza was sworn in as the new chief at the Jan. 8 Othello City Council meeting. He had been working as the interim chief since Dave Rehaume announced his retirement at the end of November 2025. Garza had been the assistant chief prior to being named as the interim.
He’s a veteran of the Othello Police Department, joining after his military service. Othello was the place he started his career, he said, and he wanted to stay there.
“This is where I grew up. I’m proud of Othello and I’m proud of the people that are here,” he said. “I want to serve in the greatest way I can.”
A native of Othello, he saw no reason to leave, he said.
“I think your law enforcement career can start and finish wherever you want it to start and finish. We have a lot of officers here that plan on making Othello their career agency,” Garza said. “Othello is a smaller agency, so I can see the possible attraction to go to a larger agency. But you know what? That's not for everybody. It definitely wasn't for me. My sense of duty – just like it is for many of the officers we have here – is devoted to Othello, and I don't have any problem with saying that. I think it's actually quite honorable to finish your career where you started, especially if you come from here, which is my case.”
He’s held most jobs at OPD, working as a patrol officer and detective, school resource officer and patrol sergeant, as well as assistant chief.
He wants to build on OPD’s existing foundation, Garza said.
“I plan to make it better. I plan to give my officers better training, better equipment, more opportunities within this agency so they can live out their full potential,” he said. “Make them better, more well-rounded police officers, so that they can go and serve the community. That's our whole intent here, is to serve the community, to make it safer.”
Othello officers are committed to improving their skills.
“They're eager, they're young. They want to serve. They want to receive training. They have a desire to do better. And that is something as chief police, I admire and I'm happy that we have the staff that come to work wanting to do better every day,” Garza said.
Othello resembles a lot of other cities its size when it comes to the type of crimes committed, he said.
“We don't have a lot of the (same) challenges as bigger cities, where they have serious felony crimes that happen daily. That's something we don't have,” Garza said. “And I attribute that to the type of people that we have here in Othello. We have good, hard-working individuals here who take pride in what they do, and they want to raise a family.”
Garza said he’s looking forward to the job.
“We have a great police department filled with great people that truly dedicate themselves to keeping Othello safe. And I am excited for what's to come,” he said.
New Othello Police Chief Aaron Garza (center back) with Shop With a Cop participants in December.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Aaron Garza selected as Othello Police Chief
OTHELLO — New Othello Police Chief Aaron Garza said he likes serving his community.
Othello School District to offer four-year EP&O levy
OTHELLO — Othello School District voters will decide the fate of a four-year educational programs and operations levy in a special election Feb. 10. Ballots are being mailed this week. Typically, Othello has submitted a three-year levy to voters, but Othello Superintendent Pete Perez said there are no guarantees when it comes to state funding. “I think it's certainly the unease around finances in the state of Washington for schools,” Perez said. “We were trying to look for a little more predictability and stability, and so the community group felt like four years was the appropriate amount of time for us to consider.”
New location, new look for Othello Library
OTHELLO — The Othello Library is attracting a lot of attention in its new space. “Everybody comments on how beautiful it is, and how fresh it is, and that it looks great, and that they’re really happy,” Othello Head Librarian Georgia Reitmire said. “One of our customers came in this morning, and she said, ‘Everybody in town is talking about the new library.’ And I thought, ‘That is amazing.’” The library moved to its new location, 125 E. Hemlock St., in December. While the new and old libraries are about the same size, the new library adds meeting rooms and updated spaces students can reserve to study. “We’re way busier than we used to be. Way busier,” said Jenny Nayala, library customer service specialist.