Recently fired Colfax Police Chief Rick McNannay argues evidence disputes the allegations of dishonesty against him by showing he cleared his hiring practices with state officials and immediately notified the city of previously unfollowed requirements on polygraphs for part-time officers.
Mayor Todd Vanek announced McNannay’s termination Tuesday, citing a third-party investigation resulting in “findings of dishonesty” on hiring. McNannay has filed an appeal to the city’s Civil Service Commission.
In a meeting with reporters Thursday, McNannay passed around a binder of event timelines, email threads and personnel records detailing his handling of the hires in question from the fall of 2016. He argued the recent investigation either ignored or overlooked evidence that he acted in good faith.
“I’ve got nothing to hide,” he said. “I’m transparent.”
McNannay contends his termination stems from paperwork to hire part-time officers to help backfill patrol coverage in 2016. Many police departments bring on full-time officers from other local agencies to pick up shifts, especially small or rural departments like Colfax.
Records show McNannay signed a Notice of Peace Officer Hire form asserting his new part-time officer had undergone a new lie detector test for Colfax, which he had not. McNannay says he missed the requirement on the recently updated forms and signed based on past certification practices.
As McNannay filed the form with the state, an official at the Criminal Justice Training Commission in Olympia informed him of a 2005 law (RCW 43.101.080 (19)) requiring new background checks and polygraph tests for all hires — even those already working full-time (and previously polygraphed) at another law enforcement agency.
In an email thread, which McNannay provided, and a follow-up phone call, the chief asks about how to rectify his recent hires with the state mandates. The official reportedly told him, according to a recent statement to the city, to use an older set of Notice of Hire forms to complete the process.
Whitman County Watch independently verified the CJTC official’s statement by sending her a copy to review. The emails and statement note other agencies had also misread the statute and faced similar certification problems.
McNannay said the mandate had not come up since he took over as chief in 2012. He immediately sent a copy of his email exchange with the state commission to the Colfax finance director to establish the new requirements for all future police officer hires.
“From that date forward, everything I did was by the book,” he said.
Since quietly placing the chief on administrative leave in October, Vanek has declined to provide details on the investigation pending the outcome of the civil service process. When asked Thursday why the old paperwork had come up now, Vanek replied via email that one of the part-time 2016 hires moved to full-time last fall and his transition brought the issue to the city’s attention.
“I will just say that all the facts are spelled out in the investigation report which will be made public in the future (as it will be part of the civil service hearing),” Vanek wrote in his email.
A preliminary hearing is now set for March 5.
McNannay said Thursday the mayor placed him on leave without warning amid medical leave for his wife’s cancer treatment. McNannay noted their recent loss of insurance has left her upcoming treatment options in question.
A Nov. 19 letter from Vanek outlines a disciplinary hearing to review the third-party findings and allow rebuttal. The letter alleges policy violations of dishonesty and incompetence with the possibility of termination.
McNannay returned a three-page response outlining his handling of the hiring issues and his efforts to comply with instructions from the state commission. He said he was sharing this information publicly now to respond to the mayor’s “reckless” and “malicious” termination announcement from Tuesday.
“If you don’t respond,” he said, “they assume you’re guilty.”
In a timeline of the dispute, McNannay also noted Thursday a previous conflict with the city over pay for working security at WSU football games in 2017. At one point, McNannay threatened to sue over $3,038 in withheld wages.
Emails show Colfax officials questioned the legality of McNannay approving WSU security contracts as department head and then taking shifts for additional pay.
As his appeal process moves forward, McNannay said he has hired Spokane attorney Robert Dunn to represent him. Dunn specializes in wrongful termination and other employment litigation against city governments.
UPDATE on Jan. 25: Read related coverage from Pullman Radio News and the M-P Daily News.
we stand by Rick, Thank you for letting him share his side of the story
Have known Rick for over 40 year’s and competed with him in many athletic endeavors. Never have i heard or seen Rick lie or do something illegal. He is above board always has been and always will be. Colfax had one of the best police chief a town could have fair and unbiased.
Worked with Rick when he was a Sgt at the Whitman County Sheriffs Officer. I have never met a more honest law enforcement officer in my years in Law Enforcement. He was always a stickler for accuracy and reports and what the law said. He always had a clear and professional attitude with all manners of law enforcement. I plan to be there on March 5th to show my support for him. I encourage others to join me.