Due to discrepancies in his hiring paperwork and a failed psychological evaluation, the Washington state Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) has indicated it cannot certify Brandon Svenson — who the Town of Pe Ell hired to be its town marshal earlier this year — as a peace officer.
The finding was detailed in WSCJTC investigation summary documents signed by investigators on May 15, 2024.
Pe Ell Mayor Lonnie Willey said Thursday that he did not believe WSCJTC has issued an intent-not-to-certify letter for Svenson, but that WSCJTC has indicated it will do so if Svenson enters the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA).
Given that information, Svenson and Willey have decided not to send Svenson through the law enforcement academy, meaning Svenson cannot serve as the town’s marshal.
“It’s unfair to Brandon, but Brandon and I have decided that he doesn’t want to pursue it,” Willey said Thursday, adding, “It’s just frustrating that they’re prosecuting a good man.”
The Town of Pe Ell confirmed April 4, 2024, that it had hired Svenson to be the town’s new marshal, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
In Washington state, a marshal serves as the head of the police department for a town and is subject to the direction of the mayor. The marshal is responsible for patrolling, investigating incidents and completing all of the associated paperwork.
The starting salary for the marshal position is $60,000 per year, the Town of Pe Ell confirmed in April.
Svenson has completed the Morton Reserve Academy training program and was previously certified as a reserve officer, which allowed for limited policing authority, but the marshal position requires a full peace officer certification. All potential officers must complete the Basic Law Enforcement Academy before WSCJTC will consider them for certification.
The WSCJTC chief investigator reportedly relayed the findings of the WSCJTC investigation to Willey on May 13 and told him “it was his prerogative to send (Svenson) to the BLEA, but it was our duty to advise him that he will be paying Svenson public funds which will not result in a certified peace officer. More bluntly, ‘You’ll be throwing your city’s money away because there is no way we can ever certify this candidate based on this information,’” according to the documents.
At the time, Wiley reportedly “said that he had known Svenson for many years and thinks that he will be a fine marshal.” He reportedly told the chief investigator he “didn’t like this, but based on what has been shared, he would pull Svenson’s application.” However, Willey reportedly informed the WSCJTC the next day that “despite (the investigator’s) warnings that WSCJTC would most likely be issuing an intent-not-to-certify letter on Svenson … it was his intention to send Svenson through the Basic Law Enforcement Academy,” according to the documents.
Willey told The Chronicle on Thursday, June 6, that he no longer intended to send Svenson through the Basic Law Enforcement Academy.
The WSCJTC investigation included a review of Svenson’s hiring applications, a background check, a polygraph exam and a psychological evaluation from Pe Ell and his previous employment as a reserve officer in Toledo and Morton.
Investigators who reviewed those evaluations found that Svenson did not pass three questions on his polygraph exam and had notable issues with his psychological evaluation, according to the documents.
The content of those evaluations was redacted from the publicly released investigation documents.
The documents noted the outcomes of three of the evaluations did apply to three subsections of the state law that requires WSCJTC to deny, suspend or revoke a peace officer’s certification. Those are specifically that the candidate or officer:
The WSCJTC opened an investigation into Svenson on April 10 after it received two citizen complaints.
One was an anonymous phone call reporting that Svenson was conducting traffic stops in a marked patrol vehicle in full uniform without a peace officer certification.
When questioned about Svenson patrolling, Willey reportedly said “it was his mistake” because “he thought that since Svenson had been a reserve (officer) previously, it was OK for him to conduct traffic stops,” according to investigation documents.
Svenson was previously hired as a reserve officer in Toledo and completed the Morton Reserve Academy training program, but did not start his service before the department dissolved in July 2022, according to previous Chronicle reporting. Svenson served as a reserve officer in Morton from August to December 2022 before leaving the position “for personal reasons,” according to previous Chronicle reporting.
The investigator “explained to (Willey) that since (Svenson) is not employed as a reserve officer currently and he has yet to have a peace officer certification as the marshal, he does not have any police powers.”
At the time, Willey reportedly “advised that he would take care of it.”
Svenson also reportedly called the investigator directly and “said he thought he could conduct traffic stops because he was a prior reserve officer” and “advised he wants to do things correctly and will stop until he attends BLEA and is certified,” according to investigation documents.
Willey also advised that Pe Ell had completed Svenson’s required background, polygraph and psychological evaluations and agreed to forward them to the investigator.
The second complaint, filed by Lewis County resident Kyle Wheeler, asked investigators to review a previous Lewis County News article regarding an incident where Svenson allegedly pulled a gun on someone during a confrontation with his girlfriend’s estranged husband.
Investigators reportedly confirmed with Svenson’s girlfriend that her estranged husband had been stalking her and showed up to where she was with Svenson, violating a court-issued protection order, and attempted to remove Svenson’s weapon from his holster, according to investigative documents.
Wheeler also reported concerns about Svenson possibly “using his position in law enforcement to exploit women,” specifically referencing sexually suggestive photos posted to Facebook showing Svenson in his Morton Police Department reserve officer uniform, including one where he was pretending to arrest a woman against a vehicle.
“Some may find the photo distasteful, though it does not appear to be egregious,” the chief investigator noted, adding that, “if Svenson was a certified peace officer, this would not be a violation of RCW 43.101.105,” which is the law dictating when an officer’s certification should be denied, suspended or revoked.
The photos were deleted soon after they were posted, according to the documents.
WSCJTC investigators also reviewed a previous complaint about Svenson’s behavior at a May 2022 Lewis County Republicans’ meeting, which the chief investigator said “was described to me as yelling and throwing a crumpled piece of paper,” which was not grounds to deny his certification.
Since Svenson cannot serve as the Pe Ell town marshal without a peace officer certification, the Town of Pe Ell will reopen its application for the position, Willey said Thursday.
Pe Ell’s last town marshal, Dean Rivers, stepped down in September 2020 after the Pe Ell Town Council voted against sending him to state-mandated basic training academy. The town’s previous marshal, Mike Hartnett, retired in April 2019, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Pe Ell has been seeking a new town marshal since Rivers stepped down.
Pe Ell law enforcement was for a while provided through a contract with the Morton Police Department. It has also been covered through a contract with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Svenson stepped down from his position as chair of the Lewis County Republican Party to accept the marshal position. He remains the mayor of Winlock.
