Spinks to leave Sequim police chief post July 2

SEQUIM — Police Chief Robert Spinks has sent an exit letter to his staff, and noted that his last day of work is July 2.

Advertising for a new Sequim police chief is under way, and Lt. Sheri Crain will serve as acting chief until a new top officer is found.

Spinks, chief for the past five years, was urged to leave in May by City Manager Steve Burkett, who took Sequim’s helm in October.

Burkett has said that Spinks is a good chief, but no longer a good match for Sequim’s needs. In essence, the two men’s management styles clash.

Spinks has called himself a leader, not a manager — and didn’t argue with Burkett’s description of him as “bombastic.”

Burkett had urged Spinks to find a new job by May 31, or resign in any case by Dec. 31 — and in recent weeks the chief has unsuccessfully sought positions with the police forces of Lebanon, Ore., Pullman and West Richland.

The search continues on the North Peninsula and across the Northwest, Spinks said, though he wouldn’t elaborate.

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