Bellevue deputy chief demoted to captain over performance issues

Bellevue’s deputy police chief will be demoted to captain for performance issues, under discipline announced Thursday by Chief Steve Mylett.

Deputy Chief Jim Jolliffe, who has been with the department for 25 years and deputy chief since 2010, was placed on paid administrative leave in late November. No details were given, but the department said when Jolliffe went on leave that there were no allegations of a violation of the public’s trust.

The independent investigation Mylett ordered was recently completed. Jolliffe was notified Thursday of the chief’s decision. He has 10 days to file an appeal. If no appeal is filed, the investigation report could be made public, according to the department.

Jolliffe will return to the rank of captain and report to the patrol division Monday, Mylett said.

“I have all confidence that Deputy Chief Jolliffe possesses the knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful in his new assignment,” Mylett said. He said he has personal regard and respect for Jolliffe’s years of experience, but that as chief, he has a duty to hold people accountable for their performance and conduct.

Jolliffe did not return calls seeking comment.

Jolliffe was one of five finalists for the chief position in 2014 when the city decided to abandon the search and recruit a new slate of candidates to replace former Chief Linda Pillo, who retired earlier that year. City Manager Brad Miyake said he had decided to seek new candidates after interviewing the finalists and getting feedback from others in the city.

Mylett was hired a year ago and promised to hold his staff to the highest standard of integrity. The department previously had been rocked by several incidents of officer misconduct. Two members of the command staff were demoted in 2013 for having an extramarital affair. Two others were disciplined a month earlier for drunken, off-duty behavior at a Seattle Seahawks game.

Last fall, the announcement of Jolliffe being placed on leave came less than a month after former Deputy Chief Michael D. Johnson abruptly retired after using an unmarked police vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens to maneuver through traffic while off-duty.

Mylett said he decided upon the discipline in Jolliffe’s case based in part on Jolliffe’s rank and experience. In an interview earlier this week, after he had received the investigation report but before he had announced the action he would take, Mylett said, “As you travel up the chain of command, you’re held to higher standards because the assumption is you have more knowledge, you have more wisdom, you certainly should have more experience and certainly more maturity.”