YPD senior sergeant to retire in February

YAKIMA, Wash. — Veteran Yakima police Sgt. Bob Hester, a key figure in the police union's fight with Chief Sam Granato over labor and personnel issues, will retire next month, union leaders said Wednesday.

Hester, the department's senior sergeant, unexpectedly informed his patrol squad of his pending departure at their morning muster on Tuesday, said Sgt. Shawn Boyle, the union's secretary.

"I think we lose a very well-respected leader and mentor to several young officers," Boyle said.

Hester's retirement will take effect Feb. 28, following vacation and regular time off. The union is now expected to call for candidates to fill the board vacancy.

Granato has blamed the union under Hester for taking a more aggressive stance on labor issues than his predecessors. Hester maintained that he never had a vendetta against Granato, but only wanted to protect the rights of union members.

Neither Hester nor Granato could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Hester, 55, started as a reserve officer in December 1974.

He joined the department full-time in May 1976 and spent roughly 18 years as a board member for the Yakima Police Patrolman's Association, the union that represents the department's 125 officers and sergeants. He was promoted to sergeant in 1990.

His most recent union stint started with his election as board president in 2005. He was re-elected for a second two-year term that ended this month.

Incoming president Detective Mike Nielsen had been expected to appoint Hester to replace him as vice president in order to help with a series of labor issues that have arisen since Granato took over as chief in 2003.

Those matters include Granato's push for random drug testing of the entire force, which union leaders have opposed on constitutional grounds and concerns that they could be unfairly targeted by the system.

Nielsen said Hester's departure would create a "huge void" for both the union and the entire department.

"Bob was a great officer and a great sergeant -- a very good advocate for the officers of the Yakima Police Department," Nielsen said.

As recently as two weeks ago, Hester was reportedly planning to stay one more year before retiring, but he apparently decided to leave early for personal reasons.

Aside from his union role, Hester served 19 years on the department's SWAT team. He was a tactical team leader when he left the specialty unit in 2003.

In the late 1980s, he and a SWAT partner ran a ballistic shield into a Fruitvale Boulevard convenience store to pin down a robbery suspect armed with a rifle. The suspect had held two clerks hostage; they were unharmed and the suspect was arrested.

He spent the bulk of his career on the streets in the patrol division. Besides a recent one-year assignment as a detective supervisor, he also worked in the traffic and street-crime units.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.