This Pierce County city has a new police chief for the first time in a decade
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gig Harbor named Interim Chief Tray Federici as permanent police chief Monday.
- Federici was selected following community feedback and public support from officer union.
- His past roles span patrol, investigation, and national task force service.
The city of Gig Harbor has chosen a new chief of police, following interviews, community feedback and a show of support from the department’s union.
Interim Police Chief Tray Federici has been selected to serve as the permanent head of the Gig Harbor Police Department, the city announced in a press release Monday morning. His new position is effective Sept. 22.
“I’m looking forward to working more closely with Chief Federici and his team, and to seeing how he continues to make our police so integral in this wonderful community,” Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber said in the release. “Chief Federici’s passion and commitment to Gig Harbor are just two things that made him rise to the top in this process.”
Federici was one of four finalists in the recruitment process following the retirement of former Chief Kelly Busey, who led the department for over a decade. Busey concluded his law enforcement career of over 30 years in June, and the city chose Federici, then a lieutenant, to fill the role of interim police chief while the city sought a permanent replacement.
The other finalists for the permanent position were Tom Yabe, public safety chief for Steilacoom; Dan Schoonmaker, former police chief and current emergency management coordinator for Poulsbo; and James Mjor, assistant chief of the Washington State Patrol.
Residents had the opportunity to meet the candidates at an open house Sept. 4, where the city gathered feedback to help guide the final decision.
A recruiting agency that specializes in public safety leadership, Public Sector Search & Consulting, assisted the city with the recruitment process. The agency screened initial candidates, who were presented to Gig Harbor City Administrator Katrina Knutson and Mayor Mary Barber in early August, Human Resources Director Shannon Costanti wrote The News Tribune in a statement.
“Additional insights and perspectives were considered from three constituent panels, one comprised of the city’s executive team, the others of city council members and partner organization leadership,” Costanti wrote. “We also engaged both Police Department staff and the community in the hiring process through engagement sessions where each of the final candidates introduced themselves and answered questions directly with people one-on-one.”
“Ultimately, the Chief of Police is appointed by the mayor and reports to the city administrator,” she wrote.
“I’m humbled and excited to carry forward the mission and vision of the City of Gig Harbor, the Gig Harbor Police Department, and our community,” Federici said in the city’s news release. “I’m grateful for the strong foundation built before me, and I’m committed to honoring and building upon that foundation as we continue our mission delivering the best possible public safety and service to our community.”
The annual salary for Gig Harbor’s police chief ranges from $182,561 to $228,353, according to the city’s 2025 wage schedule.
Federici has worked in law enforcement since 2002 and for the Gig Harbor Police Department since 2016. In Gig Harbor, ”he has advanced through every rank, serving as a patrol officer, detective, sergeant, investigative and administrative sergeant, and lieutenant,” the release says.
His law enforcement career has taken him across the country, including stints in Florida, South Carolina and Colorado, and he was honorably discharged and recognized for exemplary service following his service as a maritime enforcement officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He has worked on multiple task forces with agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service, and is a commander with the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, according to the release.
Federici holds degrees in business and government administration; public safety; and homeland security and disaster management. He also holds certificates in police leadership from the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association Executive Leadership Institute, the release states.
Rank-and-file officers of the Gig Harbor Police Department voiced their support for Federici to become the next chief, issuing a press release Sept. 5 on behalf of their union, Teamsters Local Union 117.
“I proudly support Tray Federici as the Chief of Police for the City of Gig Harbor,” Detective Sergeant Jarab Daniel, who has served the department for 10 years, said in the release. “During his interim tenure, Chief Federici has shown steady leadership, integrity, and a centered focus on community safety. His collaborative approach, strong community partnerships, and proven results have earned the backing and support of the officers who serve our agency. He is the right choice to lead the Gig Harbor Police Department as permanent chief.”
Officer Chet Dennis, a union representative, also spoke during public comment at a city council meeting Sept. 8, thanking the city for a selection process he described as a “brilliant job well done” and for inviting officers’ feedback in the search for a new chief.
“The members of the police department, after meeting all of the candidates, we took our own survey and talked amongst ourselves,” he said. “And we overwhelmingly support Interim Chief Tray Federici to be the next police chief for the Gig Harbor Police Department.”
The Gig Harbor Police Department is structured to include a police chief, two police lieutenants, four patrol sergeants, one detective sergeant, two detectives and 16 patrol officers; along with two police services specialists and one property/evidence technician, according to the department’s 2024 annual report.
The department currently employs 22 officers but has 26 slots, making recruitment a “top priority” for them during the transition, Federici said in an interview Monday.
Plans to target shoplifting, traffic violations
Federici listed several goals in an interview with The News Tribune that he has for continuing and improving enforcement against theft, which tends to be one of the city’s most frequent crimes and was the top call for service in 2024, per the department’s annual report.
The city saw 321 reported larceny-theft offenses in 2024, translating to a crime rate of 24.5 offenses per 1,000 people.
In Gig Harbor, Federici said he plans to continue the city’s business check program, which The News Tribune reported allows businesses to call for support against possible shoplifters without making an official report.
The department will also maintain its retail theft suppression operation program, which Federici conceptualized while he was a detective, he said. Gig Harbor Police performed a retail theft emphasis patrol in May, arresting 15 people and detaining three youth over two days, according to an announcement on the department’s social media.
He also wants to create a “direct emphasis team” in the department to focus on enforcing specific areas of the law, such as retail theft, without having to balance other routine calls for service. Other areas the team could target are speeding or traffic issues, or vehicle prowling, he said.
This team would include two dedicated field investigators to help officers with directed patrols, he said. Once the department fills its roster of 26 officers, he plans to work with his team to allocate positions to an emphasis unit, he said.
As for speeding, another common complaint, the police department will continue routine patrols as well as “emphasis days” where officers can sign up to work a shift focused on traffic enforcement, Federici told The News Tribune. Traffic enforcement can also involve monitoring for seat belts and cell phone use.
The department is also working on refreshing particular speed signs in the city with upgraded technology, he added. These signs are posted in areas that tend to get higher traffic, including Soundview Drive, Peacock Hill, and both Stinson Avenue and Pioneer Way coming downhill, according to Federici.
Some existing signs require the city to take them down and recharge them because they’re battery-powered. The city is “working with alternative power sources now to include solar, and we are having signs retrofitted and upgraded with visual alert technology,” he said.
Other signs past their usable life are being replaced with new technology, he said.
Approach to recruitment as police agencies nationwide face challenges
Law enforcement agencies nationwide have faced challenges hiring in recent years. The state of Washington currently ranks last in the country for the number of officers per capita, and Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into law earlier this year to allocate $100 million to help hire more police.
The Gig Harbor Police Department seeks to attract candidates who believe in the department’s mission and want to work for Gig Harbor as a city and community, said Federici.
“It is a rare occasion that the Gig Harbor Police Department loses an officer to another law enforcement organization,” he said. “Where do we lose our officers? Historically, we lose them to retirement, and that’s a testament to the department we are, because we don’t have officers chasing the next hiring bonus.”
The background check process is ongoing for the “many applicants” who have applied to work for the department, he said.
The police department recently outfitted a new recruiting vehicle advertising a QR code for applicants, he said.
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New chief emphasizes internal training, trust
Federici said he believes “leadership development at all levels is going to be the key to the future of the department,” particularly in light of recent retirements of long-time employees and another’s upcoming retirement early next year.
That means preparing every officer to step up to the next rank “at a moment’s notice,” said Federici. Patrol officers receive training to become sergeants, sergeants are trained to become lieutenants and lieutenants are taught how to serve as police chief. It’s important to him that officers don’t get pigeon-holed into learning only one specialty or area, he said.
Additional training opportunities were key to his own promotions in the Gig Harbor Police Department, including helping to manage the department’s accreditation process with former Chief Busey, he explained.
He underscored the importance of keeping the community’s trust through undergoing rigorous evaluations such as the state accreditation process, which he described as a team effort within the department.
The Gig Harbor Police Department earned accreditation from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs earlier this year, the culmination of two years of work and a recognition that the department meets “the highest standards in policing across 18 operational areas, from use of force to fiscal management,” according to a city release.
“And I will tell you trust in law enforcement — we always view it that we earn it in drops, but we lose it in gallons,” he said. “So I’m extremely protective over the trust that I’ve gained, and the trust the department’s gained, not only within the city government as a whole, but within our community as well.”
Asked for his response to the support he received from the department’s union, he said he believes he’s earned the officers’ trust.
“I can legitimately say I’m the same person I was as a police officer, I’m the same person I was as a detective, the same person I was as a sergeant, as a lieutenant, as the interim chief and chief,” he said. “I value my relationship with all employees within the department and within the city government as a whole, as much as I value my relationship with the community members, and I think they know that.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM.
