Chief of Tribal Police

Job Summary:

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Public Safety Department is comprised of Police and Natural Resources Enforcement (NRE) to prevent & reduce crime; protect the health, safety, & welfare of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s people and property; and to enforce treaty rights regulations to help sustain natural resources.  The Chief of Police is responsible for leading the Agency in a healthy work culture and ensuring nobility and credibility of the Profession. The Chief develops strategic plans while directing and administering the law enforcement function for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.  This responsibility includes enforcing Tribal ordinances, and State law in compliance with an Interlocal Agreement with Kitsap County, managing department personnel, and the resources and budget of the department, including the grant application and compliance process.  The Chief also establishes and maintains positive relations within the Department, the Tribal community, and state and federal agencies.  An awareness of and sensitivity to cultural diversity is an essential component of this position.  This position is required to respond to emergency situations after hours, during closures, on weekends, and during holidays as needed. The Chief of Police reports directly to the Administrative Director of Judicial Services.

Duties Include:

• Leading with Confidence, Experience, Professionalism and Nobility
  • Set the tone of a healthy, positive and responsive work culture and environment
  • Develop and invest in the department’s team and individual personnel
  • Work collaboratively with the Administrative Director to ensure process is followed and recommend improvements.
  • Establish positive community relations within the Tribal community and with external agencies

• Strategic Management: 
  • Set long and short-term goals through regular review and revision of the Strategic Plan in alignment with Tribal Council Goals and manage quarterly and yearly reporting
  • Provide input and planning for development of overall department organizational structure

• Prepare and submit written and verbal reports and updates as required

• Budget and Grant Preparation:
  • Oversee and participate in the development and administration of the Public Safety Department budget; direct and forecast funding needs for staffing, equipment, material and supplies in alignment with Strategic Plan and Tribal Council goals
  • Delegate authority for budget administration to Deputy Chief’s and/or Sergeants, as appropriate, within clearly defined parameters
  •  Prepare and submit grant applications that fund Public Safety equipment and activities
  • Manage the department grant awards, compliance, and reporting in alignment with strategic plan and Tribal Council goals
• Program Management:

• Ensure the provision of reliable, consistent and equitable enforcement of all applicable laws with the highest possible levels of professionalism and ethical behavior
  • Serve as primary liaison for the department by proactively interacting with Tribal members and the community to establish and maintain the highest possible levels of communication and good relationships; must clearly demonstrate a willingness and ability to be sensitive and responsive to concerns regarding police enforcement activities
• Direct ongoing research into crime statistics as well as new law enforcement tools, technologies, techniques and best practices to address emerging trends in enforcement as they are recognized
• Design, plan and present crime prevention and safety education in appropriate community forums
• Ability to assume routine patrol duties as required

• Recruitment and Supervision:
  • Select, train, motivate and evaluate Public Safety personnel
  • Coordinate staff training and work with the employees to correct deficiencies
  • Provide effective leadership and management for all Public Safety employees, including, but not limited to, scheduling, policy administration, required training, career development and disciplinary actions as required
• Policies and Procedures:
  • Maintain the Public Safety Policy Manual, direct the development and maintenance of systems, records and legal documents that provide for the proper evaluation, control and documentation of department operations
  • Collaborate with Legal Department, Court Staff, and other affected departments, and tribal leadership, to respond to needs and improve systems, including code development.
• Emergency Response:
  • • • • Serve as an Emergency Response Team member and critical staff to respond to emergency situations after hours, on weekends, and during holidays as needed
        • Participate in, direct, and coordinate high risk, hazardous, and emergency actions related to tactical operations, narcotics, gang activity, criminal investigations, traffic or other enforcement activities.
        • Utilize the Incident Command System to manage large incidents.
• Personal Contacts: 
  • Establish and maintain good communication and working relationship with Tribal Council, Administration, other Tribal departments and programs, demonstrating an openness, willingness and ability to respond in a timely and appropriate manner

• • Collaborate with other law enforcement agencies; attend as appropriate; state, local and federal interagency and intertribal meetings and training to network with colleagues

• • Mandated Reporting:  

• Legally obligated to report and investigate suspected child and vulnerable adult abuse or neglect in collaboration with the Children and Family Services Department.  
• Ensure that officers are trained on mandatory reporting laws and procedures. 

• Other Duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Education/Experience:
  • A bachelor’s degree in Police Science, Criminology or closely related field is preferred but a combination of relevant completed or on-going education and work experienced will be considered

• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible and satisfactory experience as a law enforcement officer with a minimum of three years of supervisory-level administrative experience in a law enforcement setting is required.
  • Experience in law enforcement in a Tribal setting highly preferred.
  • Licensing/Certification: 

• A valid Washington State Driver's License with evidence of a satisfactory driving record is required. 
• A current First Aid/CPR certificate is required.
• Must be a graduate of the Basic Law Enforcement Academy sponsored by the Washington State Training Commission, the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Washington State Training Commission Equivalency or meet equivalency requirements for the state of Washington to obtain a Peace Officer Certificate.
• Certification of the Washington State Executive Course/FBI Command College is preferred.  Completion of Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission recognized Executive Certification Course or BIA equivalent to obtain certification within the first year of employment is required.

• Personal Computer Skills:
  • Intermediate-advanced personal computer skills are required, as well as word processing, spreadsheet, scheduling, and database software.
• Other important skills:
  • Good communication skills, both verbally and in writing, are required.

• • Experience in implementing law enforcement services, departmental budgets and funding justifications.
  • Experience in grant management. 
  • A pre-employment drug and alcohol test must be successfully completed before any conditional offer of employment can be confirmed.  Any discrepancies in these tests will require that the conditional offer of employment be withdrawn
  • A pre-employment background check in accordance with RCW RCW 43.101.095 must be successfully completed before any conditional offer of employment can be confirmed.  A “successful” background check will be one that contains no felony convictions in the past seven (7) years, no misdemeanor convictions within the past (3) years, no convictions for crimes violence such as domestic violence and no convictions for any crimes involving moral turpitude or any crime that might call the integrity or credibility of the officer into question
  • A pre-employment psychological assessment that is satisfactory to the Tribe is required as well as a polygraph test.

Physical Requirements:

• Physical condition sufficient to satisfy Training Academy requirements based on typical law enforcement physical activities and ability to operate a motor vehicle safely
• Regularly required to finger, handle, reach with hands and arms
• Frequently required to walk, run, sit, stand
• Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
• Normal audio and visual acuity

Travel Requirements:

• Local, statewide and out of state travel may be required.            

Remote Work:

This position is eligible for situational remote work as needed.  The schedule must be discussed with and approved by supervisor and director and may be subject to change depending on role and department need.