UPDATE: The Eureka City Council is not currently slated to discuss the process for replacing police Chief Andrew Mills at the July 18 meeting, which comes just three days before his last day on the job.
City Clerk Pam Powell said more information on the process may be announced next week and the appointment of an interim chief is likely to come before the council at the beginning of August.
PREVIOUSLY: It’s now official: Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills’ last day with the city is set for July 21.
After nearly four years on the job, Mills is heading south to Santa Cruz, where he’ll take on the same position 10 days later in a city that’s double Eureka’s size but faces many of the same issues, including a sizable homeless population.
Mills announced he accepted the position back in early June but the offer was contingent on his passing an extensive background check, which was recently completed.
“It’s bittersweet,” Mills says, adding praise for the men and women of his department. “We truly love the people of Humboldt and we’ve found many like-minded friends and people with similar interests, like grandchildren, and many salt-of-the-earth people who are just fantastic.”
Being closer to his own grandchildren played a major role in the decision to make the move.
“It’s a great opportunity for Cathy and myself, and we look forward to pouring as much energy into the position and the people of Santa Cruz as we did in Humboldt,” Mills says.
Mayor Frank Jager says he expects the council will appoint an interim chief while starting a search process that will cast a wide net with the hopes of landing “someone of the same caliber.”
“It’s a tough task,” Jager says. “It’s truly a loss for the city.”
Meanwhile, the mayor says he has confidence in the department’s two captains, Brian Stephens and Steve Watson, and doesn’t see why one of them would not be selected to step into the interim role, noting they might also apply for the chief’s slot.
“They’re both really capable of keeping a ship on course,” he says.
Mills says he’s purposely staying out of the planning but has already given his recommendation to City Manager Greg Sparks, who is out of the office this week.
The decision, Mills notes, is ultimately up to Sparks with the council’s input.
“We’ve got two very capable guys (Stephens and Watson) in place but they may want to look further than that, as far finding the best person for the job,” Mills says. “It’s all about timing and fit.”
Soon after arriving in Eureka, Mills began making some major changes, including a restructuring of a department that had been wracked by a series of controversies in prior years — from a string of officer involved shootings to the sudden ouster of a former chief, Garr Nielsen, whose four-year run was riddled with conflict.
Those changes include a plan, currently in progress under the direction of Watson and Stephens, to set up patrol beats by specific neighborhoods, which will allow individual officers and residents to get to know each other on a more personal basis.
A drop-in farewell gathering for Mills is set for July 19 at the Wharfinger Building from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
This article appears in Community.
IF only everybody knew what really happened.
The night Tommy died the officers were under the control of Sgt. Stephens, The events reported were inaccurate and misleading. The police claim Tommy had a confrontation with a person that drove up driving a dark colored Ford truck. I seen the persons statement, there was never a confrontation between the driver and Tommy to justify such a concern. During the trial Sgt. Stephens sat with Linfoot at the defense table. I watched Stephens texting on his cell phone, most of the time holding his phone in his lap just under the table. I couldn’t help but to think that he must have thought the rules of the courtroom did not apply to him or he was above any consequences. Every elected officials have the ability to do what is right and what’s expected of them, Eureka City’s Council has the same ability. This is not an isolated instance, there’s a serious threat to the welfare and safety to the people in Eureka. The Mayor, is a former EPD officer, he has not taken a stand to protect the people in the community. Members of the city council, have delegated their responsibilities, they have not acted within the scope of their authority. When police officers or elected officials abandon or abuse their power, we are all put in danger.
I have always admired and respect law enforcement, the death of Tommy has not changed that. Unfortunately, I assumed that all officers are honest so the ones that are not don’t take their position very seriously. The officers illegal and unethical actions were a state violation of Tommy’s individual constitutional rights, law-enforcement are here to protect us not jeopardize our lives.
That night Tommy was killed, the officers operational plan was based on an unreliable tip Stephens received from some girl walking down the street late at night. Stephens was the first officer to confront Tommy. Tommy and his cousin and his cousins wife had returned home after they celebrated Tommys cousins birthday, yes Tommy and his cousin were drinking but they did the responsible thing and made arrangements to have a designated driver. Stephens pulled up on Tommy in the dark, just after midnight started yelling and pointing a gun at him. Tommy was standing up on his porch, posting to Facebook, his Facebook timeline shows him texting at 12:25am thanking his cousins wife for a good time and again at 12:27am Tommy was shot at 12:30am.
Stephens stated as he commanded Tommy to “Come Down Here Now” and “Put Your Hands Up” Stephens claimed Tommy showed resistance, but Tommy did not, he put his hands up, stepped off the porch and started walking down to the officer. Just because Tommy was asking, “what’s going on?” “why are you doing this to me?” “what did I do?” Questions are not acts of resistance. Linfoot describes the encounter as a fishing expedition. It’s my belief the officers provoked and instigated the altercation with McClain the officers actions were unprovoked and lacked provocation. Linfoot said everyone out there was saying the same thing, there was no conflicting demands being made which he knows can confuse the situation. It was very specific “Keep Your Hands Up” Stephens, Harkness and McElroy backed up his story. Harpham asked… where was Thomas located? Linfoot answers, He was just walking in a straight pathway off of the porch, he just continued to walk straight.
Linfoot states he was comfortable with Tommy’s actions, he was doing what he was instructed to do.
Officer Linfoots actions were excessive and performed with a deliberate indifference to the circumstances. Law enforcement officers must take into account the totality of the circumstances. The objective factor is to determine the reasonableness of force. Tommy McClain did not commit any violation or offense, he wasn’t wanted for any contravention or malefaction, he did not attempt to resist or evade apprehension. Mr. McClain was cooperative and responded to the verbal commands, the length Tommy walked as Stephens commanded him to “Come Down Here Now” the was a significant distance and showed a willingness to comply. The officers vehicles are equipped with Watch Sentinel Surveillance System, albeit it does not show the accrual shooting Tommy is up in his yard out of the camera’s view. The video taken from Sergeant Stephens car will show, Linfoot barreling around the corner from the west side, he jumps out of his quad car pulls his firearm and points it in the direction where Tommy McClain was standing. The audio from Linfoot’s car has confirmed all the officers simultaneously yelling conflicting commands such as get down, get down hear right now. Tommy slightly lowered his hands and hesitated but quickly bringing them back up again as the officers yelled even louder “keep your hands up, “keep your hands up, . The last commands heard on the audio is the voice of officer Linfoot yelling “Get Down” and another officer yelling “stop.”stop” stop” during trial Mr. Galipo asked Linfoot if he recognize the voice that yelled “Get Down” Linfoot stated he believed it was his voice he heard.
Blaming Tommmy for dropping his hand is a ridiculous excuse for Linfoots for own actions. Mills concluded that the utilization of force was justified and dismissed all inopportune police conduct. But the investigation was predicated on fallacious information that was propitious to his officers and the department. The outcome of the investigation was reached from a plenarily partialness conclusion by consummately ignoring the facts that the officer’s own temerarious or deliberate conduct during the initial contact with Tommy unreasonably created a situation, that evidently ended the life of Tommy James McClain. EPD Ronald Harpham labeled the death of Tommy justified homicide. A mistake is never justified and Linfoots intentions to shoot Tommy on the ground was not a mistake. Tommy’s death certificate says, he was in altercation but all he was doing was standing outside in his yard……….
Sgt. Stephens might not have killed Tommy, but he certainly lacks integrity by not coming forward with the truth, completely disregarded any concern for the Publics Safety. When it comes to law-enforcement standing agents these types of wrong doings is more important then defending them.