Acting SLPD chief investigation discussed during city council

Yahoo

27-02-2025

Feb. 27—SOAP LAKE — At the Feb. 19 Soap Lake city council meeting, a public comment was made by Karen Dillon, a former City of Soap Lake employee. During her comment, Dillon brought up the Sept. 16, 2022, investigation of acting Soap Lake Police Department Chief Robert Geates during which he admitted to having sex on duty with a female trainee in 2021.
"These are stated facts and results of a public record request of the Washington State Criminal Justice Commission," Dillon said during the meeting. "In 2022, at the request of the Soap Lake PD there was an independent investigation conducted by Quincy PD that involved two Soap Lake police officers. In 2021 a newly graduated female cadet was placed with Officer Geates to finish her training. The female trainee detailed six incidents where she and Geates had sexual intercourse. Three of the six were while the officers were on duty."
Ordinarily, Soap Lake City Council Meetings are streamed via the Soap Lake Rants n Raves 2 Facebook group by Council Member Susan Carson. As of Feb. 21, the meeting had been deleted from the group. The previous Feb. 5 city council meeting is still available in the group.
Mayor Peter Sharp confirmed Carson went live through the group. However, he is unsure where the recording went.
"But as far as I know that she doesn't have an ability to do that, (remove the recording) I know that she would do it live," Sharp said. "If anything, that would have been a Facebook probably someone probably just reported her."
Facebook does allow those who originally post a Facebook Live video to remove the recording if they choose.
Acting Chief Robert Geates said he needed to speak with his attorney prior to giving any comment regarding the sexual misconduct investigation.
Dillon shared documents she had obtained via a public records request to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission with the Columbia Basin Herald.
Geates was promoted to acting chief Nov. 15 when former Police Chief Ryan Cox was placed on administrative leave. Cox was terminated earlier this month. The Columbia Basin Herald wrote an article about the matter which may be found at bit.ly/3EXubFd.
Sharp denied that Geates was chosen as acting chief due to a friendship between himself and Geates.
"There's no one else qualified with the police department to be in that position," Sharp said. "We have to have that position and (Geates is) the only one. So, a lot of people have this interpretation that he's here because of certain circumstances of a friendship (with me) or whatever. No, that was never even the intention, nor will ever be into the future."
According to the documents in August 2022, Cox received information from Grant County Sheriff's Office regarding allegations that Geates had an inappropriate relationship with his trainee, including incidents while Geates and the trainee were on duty.
SLPD retained an outside investigator from Quincy PD to conduct an independent investigation of the complaint. Based on the findings in the report, the complaint allegations and alleged policy violations were sustained.
Sept. 16, 2022, the chief issued a notice of pre-disciplinary Hearing to the employee. The notice provided said the chief was considering termination as the appropriate discipline for the sustained allegations. Geates then appeared and testified in his pre-disciplined hearing on Oct. 11, 2022.
According to the records, Geates had four policy violations of multiple chapters of SPLD Policy 320.5. That included engaging in sexual activity while on duty, conduct unbecoming a member of the department or conduct that would reflect poorly on the department, neglect of duty and failure to abide by the standards of ethical conduct.
The trainee was the first to be interviewed about the allegations on Aug. 22, 2022. She acknowledged the incidents did happen. She said the relationship began in mid-July of 2021. She said she and Geates had sexual intercourse six times, three of which while one or both of them were on duty.
She also said the three on-duty incidents included once while they were both on duty in the department bathroom; once when she was off duty but still on field training in Geates's Office and once while she was on duty and done with training at Geates residence in Ephrata.
"(The trainee) attempted to justify her actions by saying she is allowed breaks and considered the times of her break period for incidents on duty," Quincy PD investigators said. "(She) also said these incidents have little difference to her using the restroom while on duty as she has to remove all of her equipment. This is concerning to me as it does not seem (she) is understanding the severity of her actions and not taking full responsibility."
Geates was then interviewed by Quincy PD on Sept. 1, 2022. Geates acknowledged the incidents did happen. Geates denied any ties to sex and daily observation reports, which was also confirmed by the trainee. Geates said the first incident was in mid-July. He could only remember two incidents but said he felt like there was a third incident but was unsure.
Geates detailed two of the three on-duty incidents, including once when he was on duty in his office and once when he was off duty at his residence. He agreed the third incident probably occurred as the trainee described, which was while they were both on duty in the department bathroom; however, this is the incident Geates could not recall.
"Officer Geates, at the time of the incidents, was going through a separation from his wife. At the time of the interview Officer Geates is still married, but his wife is living in South Carolina," reads the investigation report from Quincy PD. "Officer Geates still being married and having this relationship with (his trainee) and currently being in another relationship would not be viewed favorably by the community in my opinion. An affair also shows the ability for deception. Officer Geates acknowledged and agreed when acting as an (field training officer) to a trainee, they are filling a role of a first line supervisor."
Cox had contemplated terminating Geates, but decided to instead provide a "last chance" opportunity to continue employment with SLPD dependent on the terms of the "last chance" agreement.
The agreement listed obligations of the employee including that Geates not engage in inappropriate or immoral conduct while in uniform or on duty; not misuse city facilities or equipment; carry his radio and respond promptly to calls; treat all department employees, especially subordinates, professionally, without the appearance of an abuse of authority; not engage in other behaviors that violate department policy or reflect poorly on the department; strictly adhere to department policies; and, strictly follow instructions and directives issued by the police chief or authorized designee.
Cox also made Geates take 48 hours of unpaid, disciplinary suspension, removed Geates's field training officer status for at least six months, issued a disciplinary letter and required 24 months of compliance with the last chance agreement.
On Feb. 16, 2023, the final documents and a request to close the report were received. On March 10, 2023, the report was closed.
Sharp said people who are friends with former Mayor Raymond Gravelle and Cox were the ones who put the information about the Geates investigation out into the public. Sharp vehemently denied that he'd placed Geates into the position of acting chief due to their friendship, but rather because Geates is the only person on SLPD's currently three-person police force qualified to run the department.
"Yeah, so if you're not qualified, you're not doing it," Sharp said. "I would never act on behalf of a friendship, and I never do anything alone. I always ask for counsel. I always ask people. We have to have him as acting right now, because he's the only qualified person. And, we have nobody else in order to do day-to-day business. He needs to be in that position, or we don't have an active police department."