PORT TOWNSEND — Conner Daily, who has served as the Port Townsend police chief since 2005, is retiring July 1.
Deputy Chief Michael Evans has been appointed interim chief to the position he has filled since April while Daily was on an extended vacation.
City Manager David Timmons named Evans, 47, interim police chief at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Daily informed Timmons of his decision to retire in mid-May. Timmons informed staff by email last week.
“This seemed like a really good time to retire,” Daily, 64, said Wednesday.
“I expect to stay connected to the community and volunteer,” he said.
“I will still be a part of what is happening here.”
Daily had extensive vacation time available, “and we wanted him to burn some of it off so he could evaluate what he wanted to do,” Timmons said.
Daily said he spent the past few months talking to his wife, raptor rescuer Cynthia Daily, about future plans.
Evans will be paid $94,344 annually. Daily received an annual salary of $97,536.
Timmons said it was not certain whether Evans would be promoted into the chief’s position permanently or whether there would be a search to fill the position.
It could take until the end of the year to make a decision since filling two vacant patrol positions takes priority, the city manager said.
“I haven’t had the time to poll the City Council to see how they feel,” Timmons said.
“We also have to determine what kind of feedback we want to get from the community.”
Daily joined the Port Townsend Police Department as a patrol officer in 1994.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1997 and to deputy chief in 2002.
Evans, hired in 2000, was promoted to detective in 2002 and to sergeant in 2006.
He worked as a grant writer and safety administrator before his promotion to deputy chief two years ago.
If there is a search process, Evans said, he “most likely would” apply for the chief’s position as long as his family was on board.
“I only get time to spend time with my kids once in my life, and I don’t want to look back and regret that I didn’t spend that time,” he said.
Evans will be in the interim chief position for at least six months and hopes to build partnerships with other agencies during that time.
He said the shortage of patrol officers has “created a bit of a triage mode because we can’t get to everything and we have to prioritize our cases.”
Developing partnerships will make the department “more effective and efficient,” he said.
“When you work as a team, you have other ideas and thoughts and seem to get so much more accomplished,” he said.
“It’s also better for morale. It’s always more fun and exciting to do something together.
“Things are more effective using a team approach.
“I want to help us to become a progressive police department, and that will take a lot of work.
“Law enforcement is undergoing a change nationally, and we need to follow the community policing concept, not just give it lip service.”
Daily said he doesn’t expect any fanfare over his retirement.
“When I got here, I just walked into the station as the new guy, and when I leave, I will become the guy who used to be here,” he said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
