Battle Ground’s newest police chief emphasizes open conversation and transparency between law enforcement and residents. Chief Dennis Flynn took his oath of office in a packed March 18 City Council meeting that included his close friends and family members.
Flynn takes the place of Micheal McCabe, who acted as interim chief of police in an interlocal agreement between the city and Clark County Sheriff’s Office following Mike Fort’s retirement in early January.
Flynn has over 36 years of experience in law enforcement, having served for 30 years in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He served as operations deputy chief for the Commerce City Police Department in Colorado for the last six years of his career. During an introduction before the City Council, Battle Ground City Manager Erin Erdman said Flynn supervised patrol, traffic, school resource officers and the combined SWAT and crisis negotiation teams during his service in Colorado.
Erdman also shared anecdotes regarding Flynn’s career in Las Vegas before the City Council.
“He has had to jump into the boxing ring with Mike Tyson,” Erdman said. “He has had the chance to serve a search warrant to Floyd Mayweather’s house and negotiated with a suicidal man on the top of the Stratosphere Hotel and held on as he tried to pull him off the roof.”
Flynn comes with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego. Erdman said Flynn enjoys teaching in his spare time, having taught crisis negotiation and de-escalation and police leadership training internationally and in the US.
Following his oath, Flynn said that he would work to maintain Battle Ground as the safest place that residents can work, live and play.
“People talk about having open doors, until it’s time to have those tough conversations,” Flynn said. “So, I will make that commitment to you, that if we’re not living up to what your expectations are, the police department’s as strong as what you’ll allow us to be.”
Flynn thanked city and law enforcement staff for their openness following his oath. He said local law enforcement leaders, including the St. Helens police chief and the Vancouver assistant police chief have reached out as resources.
“Collectively, we’re looking to just continue to make sure that Battle Ground stays a premiere law enforcement agency, and that it’s something that every day you can be proud of,” Flynn said.
