Third WSU police official is reassigned during recent investigation

A third member of Washington State University’s Police Department has been reassigned while a formal investigation for alleged employee misconduct is being conducted.

Capt. Mike Larsen has joined Chief of Police Bill Gardner and Assistant Chief Steve Hansen on home assignment, essentially being placed on administrative leave, according to Phil Weiler, vice president of marketing and communications at WSU.

When WSU first announced the investigation July 18, it didn’t mention that Larsen had also been placed on home assignment because Larsen was on vacation when the investigation was opened, and WSU wanted to have direct communication with him about his active status, Weiler said in a phone interview.

Gardner, Hansen and Larsen are currently employed but are not actively involved in day-to-day operations in the department, Weiler said.

WSU is following its appropriate employee disciplinary procedures while it conducts investigations into allegations, according to a news release distributed July 18. The university named Dawn Daniels as acting police chief for its Pullman campus and Victoria Murray as acting associate vice president for public safety as part of these procedures.

While Gardner was on active duty, he served as both the chief of police and associate vice president for public safety. The university decided to split up these roles and assign them as separate entities while the investigation is active. Public safety is a “broader public safety umbrella,” Weiler said; it covers the police department, Parking and Transportation, and Environmental Health and Safety.

Daniels is the WSU police administrative sergeant and will maintain day-to-day operations until the investigation proceeds. Murray is the executive director for finance and administration, and she will also carry out operations during the investigation.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.