Pacific Grove police chief announces her departure

Pacific Grove’s top cop is stepping down, as she hopes to focus her efforts in Seaside. Police Chief Vicki Myers has been working with both cities since 2012.

Myers said scrutiny over that shared role is becoming a challenge. She recently sent a letter to city managers in both cities and called a meeting with staff over the weekend to discuss her departure.

City Manager Tom Frutchey said having a shared police chief saved Pacific Grove about $100,000 a year. But over the years officers have voiced their concerns with Myers and some say they are happy to see her go.

Both the Pacific Grove and Seaside Police Officer’s Associations announced a no-confidence vote of her work as chief earlier this year. Frutchey said when Myers steps down, she plans to devote all of her attention to seaside.

“We believe that having a full time chief as well as other changes that have been and are being recommended by personnel department we can provide that level of safe police services long time in the future,” Frutchey said.

POA representatives said some officers within both departments have quit because of alleged intimidation tactics and a hostile work environment. We’ve reached out to Myers for a response and haven’t heard back yet. Previously she’s told us, those claims are baseless and she’s had to make some difficult changes over the years.

“Gang activity as you know is increasing throughout the county we want to make sure that we continue to provide a safe community,” Frutchey said.

Frutchey said that’s harder to do when a city shares its police chief with Seaside, despite being the safety city on the Monterey Peninsula. Myers will continue being the police chief of Pacific Grove for the next 90 days and after that she will just cover Seaside full time. Some Seaside residents said they hope the change in Pacific Grove will have a positive impact on both cities.

“Her contract with pacific grove only split the focus even more and so two city’s went down the tubes instead of just one and so luckily PG cutting that contract and not renewing it they are going to be on the way to building themselves back up getting back to where they need to be and that’s where Seaside needs to work on now getting back up to where we need to be,” Krystlyn Giedt with North Seaside Neighborhood Watch.

“Her claim of trying to look out for officer safety and not releasing certain information you know she feels would jeopardize that yet one of our biggest complaints is officers are routinely out there understaffed,” Seaside POA President Frank Martin said.

Pacific Grove plans to start searching for an interim police chief and eventually a permanent replacement down the line.

“Since that second vote of no confidence, I’ve met with just about every officer spent a long time in one on one meetings with each, learning their views learning their desires, learning what they see is appropriate for the department going forward,” Frutchey said.

PG is hoping this will be a turning point for the police department.