Fife appoints Pete Fisher as police chief

The city of Fife appointed Pete Fisher as its police chief Monday, filling a six-month vacancy.

Fisher, 44, most recently was a lieutenant and spokesman in the Bremerton Police Department.

He started his law enforcement career at Metro Parks Tacoma in 1995 before transferring to Bremerton in 1998, according to a news release. He started as a traffic officer, moved up to patrol sergeant and became operations lieutenant in 2006.

The Fife Police Department’s last permanent police chief, Mark Mears, took over in August 2014 and held the post until September 2015, when he became deputy director of South Sound 911. He had been assistant chief under Brad Blackburn, who resigned in July 2014, though some residents questioned whether the resignation was voluntary.

In the two months before Blackburn’s resignation, two officers resigned after allegations of sexual harassment of Fife City Jail inmates.

In 2011, Blackburn, who had been chief for eight years, had been accused in a claim of inappropriate conduct and discrimination. The claim was dismissed.

Two officers resigned that year, one for breaking the law and another for engaging in a relationship with a subordinate employee.

Current assistant chief David Woods has been interim chief since Mears’ departure.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Fife appoints Pete Fisher as police chief."