Apr. 9—The Pullman Police Department is getting a new chief.
Aaron Breshears, the department’s former acting chief, was hired by the Pullman City Council during its regular meeting Tuesday night at Pullman City Hall.
Breshears has served as acting chief since former Chief Jake Opgenorth was placed on leave in December during a Washington State Patrol investigation against Opgenorth. WSP hasn’t released any details yet. Opgenorth handed in his letter of resignation in March.
Pullman Mayor Francis Benjamin said he nominated Breshears for the permanent position because he has gone above and beyond during his 26 years of service, and is highly respected among officers.
The Police Officers’ Guild, composed of 43 employees at the department, wrote a letter to the city in support of Breshears. The group said it looks forward to the positive impact he will make at the agency, citing his commitment to ethics and integrity, and the thoughtful and balanced approach he brings to policing by valuing accountability.
Breshears said he is both humbled and honored by the support he’s received for the position.
“It’s a big responsibility and I acknowledge that,” he said. “I think this is an opportunity as a police department to move beyond some of our troubles in our past … this is one of the best police departments around.”
Breshears was the Pullman police’s commander before being named acting chief. He joined the department as an officer in 1999.
In addition to Breshears’ appointment, councilors were presented with proposed regulations on short-term rentals, like Airbnbs.
The planning commission has been working since 2023 to overhaul city zoning codes for the first time in more than two decades. Ariel Medeiros, the city’s assistant planner, said nine public hearings have been held since 2024 to gather community feedback on the changes.
The city currently requires short-term rental operators to obtain a conditional use permit from its hearing examiner. Documents attached to the meeting agenda show the altered code would create a new application process where owners would need to obtain a short-term rental permit from the city and register with the Washington Department of Revenue for a business license.
The proposal comprises a host of safety requirements such as an emergency evacuation plan approved by the city, property inspections that must be passed by a city building official and an occupancy limit of 10 people per dwelling, according to the documents.