In 2005 the Town of Twisp recommissioned its police department after a period of contract coverage with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office. The new department needed a police clerk to run the day-to-day behind the scenes business of policing. Jackie Moriarty took the reigns as clerk, but in 2009 she was promoted to assistant clerk for Town Hall and Vicki Hallowell was selected as police clerk. Vicki has been a loyal employee with the department for 13 years and will retire from the department on June 30.
When Vicki heard the position was open, she had been running the local licensing office for several years. She’d always toyed with the idea of being a police clerk, entertaining the allure of being part of an investigative team. Her desire to serve stemmed from a deep respect and admiration for law enforcement that dated back to her childhood in Bellevue, then a small growing suburb of Seattle, not the high-tech home of software giants it is today. She thought it would be a great job.
Vicki Hallowell is retiring from her position as Twisp’s police clerk.
At the spry age of 21, Vicki moved to the Methow Valley in 1972 where she worked different jobs including the newly minted Sun Mountain Lodge and the Palace Hotel Bar. After running the local vehicle licensing business, the police clerk job proved to be every bit as fun and interesting as she’d hoped.
For a small town with a small department, the police clerk wears many hats. From answering the phone to processing evidence from crimes, the clerk must be very open-minded and well organized. Vicki noted, “you interact with a variety of individuals, so it’s extremely important you’re not too quick to judge a person.” If you aren’t organized, “you never get it done.”
The responsibilities of the clerk demand detailed record keeping, sending records to prosecutors, delivery of subpoenas, maintaining time-sensitive record keeping, processing public information records, evidence tracking and evidence disposal, running background checks, staying current on firearms laws and collaborating with county and state law enforcement agencies. There was a learning curve to all of it, especially learning how to use the evidence processing database and software.
In a small town, big cases don’t happen all that often. But in July of 2009, with just six months on the job, she took her first extended weekend and time off. It just so happened, that same weekend, the Blue Spruce Motel in Twisp was the scene of the town’s first homicide in 40 years. As details of the shooting unfolded over the weekend, Vicki woke up on Monday morning, unaware of what had transpired until she heard it on the news. When she arrived to work with an office packed full of evidence, “that was real hands-on training.” That was her first dive into evidence processing and one of her most memorable cases she processed.
Vicki looks forward to sleeping in and enjoying her life in her well-earned retirement. She’ll miss her “boyz” and the camaraderie at Town Hall where she enjoys the company of the staff. When asked if she’s sad she won’t be working in the new police station, she laughed, “when they started that project years ago, I said, that won’t be finished until after I retire. But they reassured me, oh yes it will.”
I worked at Town Hall from 2008-2012, and besides her commendable work ethic, what I remember of Vicki was that she always dressed for success and thus came to work exuding professional demeanor and respect for her position as a public servant. Her gentle disposition and dedication will be big shoes to fill. The police clerk position is open for applicants looking to wear the many hats Vicki did so gracefully for over a decade, and I might add she did so with a touch of elegance.
