By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Eatonville officials are deciding whether to make the town's police chief a full-time job again. Since last year, the position has been filled on an interim basis by a Pierce County Sheriff Department officer who splits his time between the town duties and his role as a supervisor for the county. Under a new proposal , Eatonville would have the chief's services full-time. The plan is awaiting a decision by the Town Council, possibly at the council's meeting scheduled for Oct. 26. A full-time chief provided by the Sheriff Department would cost the town $140,000 per year in salary and benefits, according to the terms of a proposed two-year agreement that would begin next January and end in December 2017, with the possibility of being renewed. The department would recommend candidates and ultimately pick the chief, with approval by Mayor Mike Schaub. "A full-time chief is the best next step for moving forward the Police Department,GÇ¥ Schaub said. The cities of Edgewood and University Place receive all of their police services through Pierce County. Eatonville, however, would continue to provide its own officers, who would be supervised by the chief. Schaub has said there is no plan for the town to possibly receive all of its police service from the county. But he sees long-term value in law enforcement by expanding the county contract for a chief. "With the impact the current part-time chief has made in the department, I feel the contract with Pierce County can help improve and strengthenGÇ¥ Eatonville's police, Schaub said. He said the council is awaiting information on an evaluation of the Police Department. Jim Heishman, a lieutenant in the Sheriff Department, assumed the chief role on a limited contract basis in 2014. He replaced Jason McGuire, who had been the full-time chief since 2012 until asking to return to regular patrol duty. In addition to his town duties, Heishman oversees the Sheriff Department's Mountain Detachment, which is based in Eatonville's Town Hall. The unit has 18 deputies assigned to southeast Pierce County, from Spanaway to Mount Rainier. The Eatonville Police Department has four officers.
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