OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City of Puyallup Civil Service Commission Meeting - February 10, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Tuesday, February 10, 2026
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, February 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 15:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

A roll call.

0:06

Perfect.

0:07

A recording has started.

0:12

Roll call.

0:14

Commissioner Scott Keyes.

0:17

Present.

0:18

Commissioner Brian Spracklin.

0:20

Present.

0:21

Commissioner Jim Kelly.

0:23

Present.

0:24

Vice Chair Ed Kenitson.

0:27

Present.

0:28

Chair Dan Smith.

0:30

Present.

0:31

Thank you.

0:32

You have a quorum.

0:34

Okay.

0:34

No minutes to approve today.

0:36

We'll move right on to the uh the agenda.

0:38

Uh, Ms.

0:38

Ortega, the blended advanced entry corrections officer list.

0:43

First, we'll we'll need approval of the agenda.

0:46

Sorry, Chair Smith.

0:47

I know it's hard from the phone.

0:49

Uh motion to a second.

0:54

Second.

0:56

Okay, all in favor of approving the agenda, signify by saying aye.

1:00

Aye.

1:02

Aye.

1:03

Okay, the agenda is approved.

1:05

Now, on to the blended advanced entry corrections officer list.

1:09

Okay.

1:10

Good morning, everyone.

1:11

Thank you for the meeting on short notice here.

1:14

Uh it's very much approved by the police department to move our recruitments forward.

1:18

Uh, the first list we have today is approval of a blended advanced entry corrections officer eligibility list.

1:25

Uh so we held one advanced entry corrections officer interview on January 20th.

1:31

Uh, the candidate interviewed is currently with Pierce County jail.

1:34

Uh, he was interviewed by a panel of assessors whose scores were averaged, and he did pass that interview process with a score of 70% or higher.

1:43

Uh, he was therefore added in order of score to our blended eligibility list as follows.

1:49

Number one is Gareth Alvarez, two is Dathian Hamlin, and three, Carla Mancini.

1:59

All right, I would entertain a motion to approve the the list as presented.

2:04

Motion to approve the list as presented.

2:08

And a second.

2:10

Second.

2:11

All right.

2:12

Any discussion.

2:15

Okay, all in favor of approving the list, signify by saying aye.

2:19

Aye.

2:20

Aye.

2:20

Aye.

2:22

Okay.

2:23

The list is approved.

2:24

Next, the blended lateral corrections officer list.

2:27

Okay.

2:28

So we also scheduled two lateral corrections candidates for interviews on January 20th.

2:34

Uh, one candidate grew up here in Praylop and wants to return.

2:37

He's currently working in Nevada with the Churchill County jail.

2:41

And the other is currently uh in working in Ketchikan, Alaska, and also wants to move back here to Washington.

2:48

The candidates were interviewed uh by as is our standard process by a panel of assessors whose scores were averaged and both did pass our interview process.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████████████69%
Procedural███████████████23%
Public Safety█████8%
Summary of Proceedings

City of Puyallup Civil Service Commission Meeting

Note: The provided agenda, minutes, and transcript indicate the meeting actually occurred on January 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM, but per user instruction, the date is given as February 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC. The following summary reflects the content of that meeting.

Meeting Overview

The Civil Service Commission met to approve three blended eligibility lists for corrections and police officer positions, hear reports from the Chief of Police and Chief Examiner, and discuss upcoming events.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: Motion by Commissioner Spracklen, seconded by Commissioner Case, passed 5-0.

New Business

  • Approval of Blended Advanced Entry Level Corrections Officer Eligibility List: Presented by Chief Examiner Katie Ortega. One candidate interviewed January 20, 2026 passed with 70%+ score. List: Garreth Alvarez, Daythian Hamble, Carla Mancilla. Approved 5-0.
  • Approval of Blended Lateral Corrections Officer Eligibility List: Two lateral candidates interviewed January 20, 2026 (from Churchill County, NV and Ketchikan, AK). List: Christian Hansen, Brent Kempster, Jennifer Roth, Kristen Kraemer, Jerome Munson, Nathaniel Smith, Katrina Saunders. Approved 5-0.
  • Approval of Blended Advanced Entry Level Police Officer Eligibility List: One advanced entry candidate interviewed January 1, 2026 (from Williamsburg, VA, relocating to be closer to family). List: Meghann Afoa, Jonathan Crandall, Carolina Marin-Melgar. Approved 5-0.

Chief's Report

Chief Scott Engle provided updates:

  • New police building construction on track for mid-March 2026 move-in; packing underway.
  • After move, downtown substation and jail will undergo light remodel; jail work extends into summer 2027.
  • Three staffing vacancies: one candidate (U.S. Air Force, local) joining in February; Captain Jason Visnaw retiring February 28, prompting promotion process.
  • Jail has two openings with one lateral candidate in background check.
  • Crime statistics for 2025: person crime down 6%, societal crime down 28%, property crime down 32% year-over-year. Attributed to technology like ALPRs and Star Chase.
  • Preparing for spring events (Spring Fair, Farmers Market).
  • Attracting more female applicants; attributed to word-of-mouth recruitment and officer outreach.

Chief Examiner's Report

CE Ortega noted: next meeting scheduled for February 17 (Tuesday after President's Day) in person to recognize Vice Chair Ed Knutson’s service (his last meeting). At least one eligibility list to approve.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were accepted or recorded during the meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • All three eligibility lists approved unanimously (5-0). o- Next meeting set for February 17, 2026 in person at City Hall, with hybrid option.
  • Vice Chair Knutson to be recognized for his service.

Meeting Transcript

A roll call. Perfect. A recording has started. Roll call. Commissioner Scott Keyes. Present. Commissioner Brian Spracklin. Present. Commissioner Jim Kelly. Present. Vice Chair Ed Kenitson. Present. Chair Dan Smith. Present. Thank you. You have a quorum. Okay. No minutes to approve today. We'll move right on to the uh the agenda. Uh, Ms. Ortega, the blended advanced entry corrections officer list. First, we'll we'll need approval of the agenda. Sorry, Chair Smith. I know it's hard from the phone. Uh motion to a second. Second. Okay, all in favor of approving the agenda, signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Okay, the agenda is approved. Now, on to the blended advanced entry corrections officer list. Okay. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for the meeting on short notice here. Uh it's very much approved by the police department to move our recruitments forward. Uh, the first list we have today is approval of a blended advanced entry corrections officer eligibility list. Uh so we held one advanced entry corrections officer interview on January 20th. Uh, the candidate interviewed is currently with Pierce County jail. Uh, he was interviewed by a panel of assessors whose scores were averaged, and he did pass that interview process with a score of 70% or higher. Uh, he was therefore added in order of score to our blended eligibility list as follows. Number one is Gareth Alvarez, two is Dathian Hamlin, and three, Carla Mancini. All right, I would entertain a motion to approve the the list as presented. Motion to approve the list as presented. And a second. Second. All right. Any discussion. Okay, all in favor of approving the list, signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye.

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