When David Penrod was named Coupeville Town Marshal last summer, his promotion left a vacancy in the five-person office.

Finding a new deputy marshal is a continuing problem because the recent application process failed to produce a suitable replacement.

There were three finalists considered for the position, however, none of them were hired. Two ended up taking positions with other departments while Penrod chose not to hire the third finalist.

That leaves the town having to start over with the hiring process. Penrod said the town will soon have another round of names from the firm the town contracts with to test potential applicants.

Coupeville contracts with Public Safety Testing to test, administer physicals, polygraph and background test for potential candidates for the Town Marshal’s office.

Finalists are submitted to the town’s Civil Service Commission and then interviewed.

Once candidates are hired they go to the state Police Academy for five months. The academy training is followed by 15 weeks of field training where the new person is paired with an officer to learn about the community.

Depending on when the academy begins, it could take as long as a year to get a new officer trained, Penrod said.

While the town searches for a new deputy, the current staff members are working their typical shifts. When the town doesn’t have officers who can work, then the Island County Sheriff’s Office fills in.

“The sheriff has been very accommodating with us in a time of need,” Penrod said, adding that his office and the sheriff’s office have a good working relationship. Coupeville officers often assist sheriff’s deputies on calls around Coupeville.