What do you want to ask the police chief?

New OPD chief to hold online public meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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Newly-appointed Olympia Police Chief Rich Allen is inviting the public to join him in an online meeting, where he will address some questions on various issues on Tuesday, June 28, at 6 p.m.

Allen made the announcement last Tuesday, June 21, at the city council meeting, where he was formally introduced as the new Olympia police chief.

The town-hall-style event, to be hosted by the city, is an opportunity for the community to learn and understand the issues and topics important to the city.

Attendees can submit questions live through a moderator during the event.

"I will be addressing some previously submitted questions. We will be talking about things happening within the department and some of the plans for the future," Allen said.

The meeting will be recorded and uploaded to the Olympia website.

Promotions

The police chief also announced the promotion of Ryan Hirotaka, who will be the permanent OPD Lieutenant starting July 1.

"He (Hirotaka) has been an acting lieutenant for the last two years,” Allen explained.

Allen also recognized Deputy Chief Sam Costello, who recently graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia where he took a 10-week leadership course for police executives.

The council members congratulated Allen on his promotion.

Council member Dani Madrone expressed confidence in Allen's leadership. "I want to thank you for diving deep into the Reimagining Public Safety work. We all know there's a long way to go to rebuild trust with the community. But I know that you have the trust of the departments, the trust of the city manager, and mine as well. Thank you for stepping into this role."

Council member Dontae Payne commented that Chief Allen had demonstrated an open-minded attitude and listened to the various perspectives of the community.

"You have a positive vision…you demonstrated consistent steadiness that I think will be very good in building that trust," Payne said, adding, "I look forward to seeing how the Reimagining Public Safety process will play out under your leadership."

Residents can attend the virtual Town Hall over Zoom using this link.

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