Former police chief who oversaw Bryan Kohberger case named West Richland Police Chief

James Fry, a former chief of the Moscow Police Department, has accepted the position to lead the West Richland Police Department in Washington.

Fry retired from the Moscow Police Department after a 30-year career, including eight years as its chief. Notably, during his tenure, he oversaw the Bryan Kohberger investigation after four University of Idaho students were murdered in their apartment in November 2022.

“His experience, credentials, and proven leadership will be invaluable as we continue to grow as a community and invest in the safety and well-being of our residents,”  Mayor Brent Gerry said in a news release announcing the hiring.

Fry arrives in West Richland after then Police Chief Thomas Grego received a vote of no confidence from the West Richland Police Officers Association. Former Wenatchee Police Chief Steve Crown took over as the interim police chief in March after Grego retired in February.

Grego was accused of harassment, retaliation, and abuse within the 17-person department.

James Fry’s police career

Fry began working at the Moscow Police Department in 1993 as a reserve officer, becoming a permanent member of the department two years later. He then served as the department’s detective unit lieutenant and the captain of the campus division, before eventually becoming chief.

He retired last year so he could run for sheriff of Latah County, but he ultimately lost to the incumbent.

The Moscow Police Department received national attention in November 2022 after the murders of four University of Idaho students. The department led the investigation of the stabbing deaths alongside federal investigators.

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