SNOHOMISH, Wash. (AP) - Snohomish city leaders say their police chief is being demoted amid a public outcry over his comments regarding armed vigilantes gathering in the city.
Keith Rogers will stay on as a lieutenant, The Daily Herald reported.
Rogers has received wide public condemnation and calls for resignation after he referred to a hundred armed vigilantes converging in Snohomish on May 31 as a festive night of tailgating and celebratory pleasantries. Among those gathered in the historic downtown were a man waving a Confederate flag and people flaunting patches of a hate group’s coded insignia on tactical gear. They were there for the supposed purpose of protecting shops from alleged leftist looting threats that never materialized.
During two public Snohomish City Council meetings, Rogers and Mayor John Kartak residents accused them of allowing a gun-carrying crowd to publicly drink alcohol, intimidate citizens and tarnish the city’s reputation.
Rogers’ role as Snohomish police chief will be filled by sheriff’s Capt. Robert Palmer for an interim few months. Palmer has been with the sheriff’s office for 32 years and received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration and management in 2012 from Kaplan University.
Sheriff Adam Fortney said he felt Rogers’ reassignment was in the best interest of the community and the agency, and that he looked forward to his growth and leadership.
As recently as Saturday, Mayor Kartak defended the city’s chief on Facebook and characterized the hours of public comment criticizing them as “an organized and focused attack on our community, on our police chief, and on myself.”
In Monday’s statement, Kartak applauded Rogers’ work, saying he has provided outstanding leadership and exemplary service to the City of Snohomish and will be deeply missed.
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