The city of Bonney Lake is set to announce its new police chief a little more than a week after the retirement of Bryan Jeter, who served the city for 22 years, city officials said.

Jeter, a longtime resident, served as chief for four years until resigning in 2004, to work at the Puyallup Police Department. He returned in 2018 to end his policing career, the Puyallup Herald reported.

The News Tribune tried to reach Jeter for comment. He did not respond.

City officials declined to tell The News Tribune who they’ve chosen as a finalist for the position, but confirmed that they’ve identified one.

The finalist, a man from Washington state, is currently going through a background check. The city will announce who it is this fall, Bonney Lake HR manager Brian Sandler said.

“We’re working to get a new chief seated,” interim chief Ryan Boyle said in a phone interview. “Hopefully by the end of September.”

Twelve candidates, from both inside the Bonney Lake Police Department and outside, applied.

“We have a lot of well-known people in the community who helped interview him,” Bonney Lake City Council member Tom Watson said in a phone interview Tuesday.

The city selected a hiring panel, made up of eight community members, to help find a new chief. It included Watson, Jeter and the superintendent of the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, among others, Watson said.

“This was a competitive recruitment,” Sandler said.

The hiring panel selected two candidates from the initial 12. Their recommendation was sent to Mayor Michael McCullough and City Administrator John Vodopich, who made a decision between the two finalists.

If the background check comes back clear, then the city council would vote whether to approve the decision at the next city council meeting.

The listed salary range for the position is $159,408 to $196,200, according to the city of Bonney Lake’s job posting online.

During the interview process, Watson favored the new chief because of his likeness to Jeter. His ride-alongs with police and the open communication the council had with Jeter were important to him, Watson said. He hopes to have a similar relationship with the next chief.

“It’s hard to fill Jeter’s spot,” Watson said. “His transparency is important to me … community engagement is huge.”

The Bonney Lake Police Department has 31 officers and eight civilian support positions, according to its 2022 annual report. The force polices a city home to close to 23,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The department’s overall crime increased by more than 200 offenses from 2021 to 2022.

Last year was the worst for crime since 2018. When comparing to 2021 numbers, simple assault were up by 45%, burglary up by almost 30% and vandalism up by 29%, the report said. Forcible sex offenses were down 43%.