Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill

QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department.

“We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. 

Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain.

“I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.”

Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.

Powell comes from central Oregon, he said. After five years in the army, he tried his hand at retail management in Ellensburg. That turned out to be a bad decision, he said, so he switched over to law enforcement. He put in 12 1/2 years with Ephrata PD before transferring to Quincy in 2018. Powell is a detective in major crimes, Green said, and serves as a mentor to newer officers.

“When we have new people come in, he’s often the first face they see,” Green said. “He guides them through the process of getting the gear that they need, getting into the academy. And then when they have questions from the academy, they call him. He mentors them through the process and gives them a good, solid foundation to grow.”

Powell isn’t hanging it up for good, he said; he starts next month with the recently-formed Washington State Office of Independent Investigations. The OII is a civilian agency created to investigate cases of police use of deadly force, a job currently done by outside police agencies. That’s territory Powell knows well, he said.

“I’ve done these investigations already in Grant County,” he said. “I’ve been the lead investigator on two of them.”

“Throughout their careers, both the captain and detective have demonstrated unwavering professionalism, integrity, and steadfast commitment to serving the citizens of Quincy,” Green said. “Their knowledge, experience, and dedication have helped shaped our department and have left lasting impressions on our officers and staff who had the privilege to work alongside them.”

Green also thanked Trujillo’s and Powell’s families for their patience.

“They also have that service and dedication to helping their dad and husband be a part of this,” he said. “Long shifts, working holidays and birthdays; on callouts they drop everything and they come out and they work and they serve their community. They couldn't do it without you.”

Also retiring Thursday was Sara, the QPD’s K-9 officer, who has been sniffing out narcotics for the QPD since 2020.

“She's been a tremendous asset to our department,” Green said. “She…went through intense training and maintained her certification throughout her service. She helped our local task force and federal partners in the war on drugs.”

Sara tore her ACL in the spring, which made retirement inevitable, said her handler, officer Mike Stump.

“She’s almost 9,” Stump said. “She’s had a good run.”

Sara will spend her retirement years with Stump, he said.

“Their careers represent dedicated sacrifice and commitment to making our community safer,” Green said. “So congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for your service. You will be greatly missed, and your contributions and legacy will not be forgotten.”

    Quincy K-9 Sara (right) also retired Thursday night due to medical issues. She’ll spend her remaining years with her handler, Ofc. Mike Stump (left).