Bryan Howard will be the new acting police chief for the Maple Valley Police Department as of July 1 when the current acting chief, Sergeant Don Davis is promoted to captain and takes up the post of chief of police and fire at Boing Field/King County International Airport.

Maple Valley Chief of Police Michelle Bennett is currently on maternity leave and is expected to return to the department in mid to late October according to Maple Valley City Manager David Johnston.

The city contracts the police department with the King County Sheriff’s Office, which it has done since the city was incorporated in 1998. The partnership means appointments come from the sheriff’s office, sometimes at unexpected times.

Davis’ promotion means that in addition to the city’s regular chief being out, the sergeant position, the second highest ranking position in the city police force, will be vacant.

“The sheriff’s office is very concerned with being a good provider of public safety services,” Johnston said. “The circumstances around here are highly unlikely. Maternity leave happens all the time. Promotions happen when people move in. It’s rare when they happen together.”

Johnston explained that there are no extra sergeants in the sheriff’s office right now, they all have assignments, which means a new sergeant will have to be hired. Johnston said that city staff feels Bennett should be a part of that decision when she comes back in October.

“We told them (the sheriff’s office) if they can’t give us an interim sergeant that we would like an extra patrol person,” Johnston said.

The process for a new sergeant will probably begin about a month before Bennett is expected to return so that applications are ready and waiting for her when she returns, Johnston said.

Maple Valley City Council members had expressed a desire for Capt. Scott Summers to fill the gap, but Johnston said that Summers is committed to another contract within the sheriff’s office. Howard is no stranger to Maple Valley. He served the city as a patrol officer from 1998-2002.

“This is a contract and the sheriff can come in and move who he wants to move when he wants to,” Mayor Bill Allison said in response to some council members who voiced their frustration over the department shake up at the June 10 City Council meeting.

Now that new interim leadership has been appointed, Johnston said that the sheriff’s office is working on the city’s request for an extra patrol officer.