‘Definitely a bad apple’: Gee, Ursula celebrate Snoqualmie Police firing its chief

Snoqualmie Police Chief Brian Lynch was fired last month after an independent investigation found he violated the city’s policies on harassment, ethics, and professional conduct repeatedly.

Among his repeated offenses and violations were inappropriate sexual remarks, unprofessional behavior toward subordinates, and a failure to maintain workplace boundaries, according to city records obtained by KIRO 7.

“Big respect to the Snoqualmie Police Department,” KIRO host Gee Scott said on “The Gee and Ursula Show.” “Love everything that you all are doing. You guys came right out and let it be known that this person is not what you stand for. You didn’t let it linger or anything, because you knew having someone connected to your agency would just be a bad thing. Thank you. Thank you for proving a lot of people who have hope that people will be transparent, that is how you operate.”

Examples of ethical violations from Snoqualmie Police Chief Brian Lynch

According to the 10-page executive summary of the investigation obtained by KIRO 7, he referred to female members of the public as “bitches,” asked a female subordinate if she hurt her hand “jerking off her husband” while making a crude gesture, and would frequently comment on female employees’ and visitors’ physical appearance and rate them on a numerical scale. He also made a sexual joke in front of a teenage intern during her farewell lunch. When people pushed back on the comment, he dismissed concerns by saying she “heard worse.”

During an interview with a female police recruit, he said she “couldn’t keep her legs together” after learning she had several children, according to multiple witnesses.

He also allegedly made jokes toward a mobility-impaired employee, including repeating the phrase, “Run Forrest, run,” and had at least one on-duty officer in uniform attend his fantasy football draft party.

Lynch filed for an injunction, claiming several of the findings were inaccurate or exaggerated, which could hurt his wrongful termination lawsuit. He also stated he wanted the chance to get training to change his management style, but was terminated instead.

“Imagine him thinking that, ‘Hey, we’ll just give you a little training because all that behavior can be trained out of you.’ I don’t think so,” Ursula Reutin said. “That was definitely a bad apple.”

Listen to the full conversation here.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.