Ephrata seeks new police chief

EPHRATA — Ephrata is looking for a new police chief.

“We’re functioning with an interim, and Erik Koch is doing a great job, but he’s working without a captain,” said City Administrator Mike Warren.

Warren used to be Ephrata’s police chief before taking the city administrator job in January following the departure of longtime City Administrator Wes Crago.

Koch, a captain in the Ephrata Police Department, is filling in. The city started looking for a new police chief earlier in the year, then temporarily halted the search, Warren said.

Warren said the city plans to advertise the chief position with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs “after July 4” and will accept applications until Sept. 1 with the hope of being able have a new chief on board by the end of the year.

Anyone interested should have 10 years of law enforcement experience — five “in a management command position” — as well as a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice (master’s degree preferred, though “extensive experience can be substituted for education”), as well as the ability to pass a background check, psychological exam and polygraph test.

The job pays $105,000 per year plus benefits.