‘Gamble hire.’ Ex-Puyallup cop had training, eligibility issues before rape arrest

A former Puyallup police officer facing a third-degree rape charge in connection to a sexual assault report last fall was hired by the Police Department amid concerns about whether he could pass training and if he was eligible for public service due to his immigration status, according to emails and other public records reviewed by The News Tribune.

Niamkey Amichia, 32, was on his way to failing out of training with the Bellevue Police Department last summer when Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle began recruiting him, according to emails and documents from both cities.

“Ange is going to be a ‘gamble hire,’ for us most likely in the sense that his background is fine,” Engle wrote in a July 12 email about Amichia, who goes by his middle name. “(The) question boils down to with more training will it click for him and if it does we have another great hire for PPD. From my perspective he is worth the investment to see if we can get him there in training.”

Amichia is now accused of raping a woman he met online in the South Hill area while off-duty Oct. 7. In late February, DNA from the scene matched to an unsolved sexual assault in Connecticut from 2016. Pierce County detectives then searched the license plate the victim provided from the October case and learned Amichia was the owner of the truck she said she was raped in. In a post-arrest interview with detectives, Amichia allegedly stated both encounters were consensual and admitted to paying for sex outside his marriage.

Amichia has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail while awaiting trial. His attorney, Brian Hershman, did not respond to a request for comment. Court records from Waterbury, Connecticut, where public records show Amichia worked as an electrician, did not show he’d been charged there. He most recently lived in Issaquah.

“The Puyallup Police Department conducted a thorough background investigation into Mr. Amichia’s past to determine his suitability for becoming a police officer,” spokesperson Capt. Ryan Portmann wrote Tuesday in a statement to The News Tribune on behalf of the department. “The background investigation met or exceeded the state’s required standards and included a polygraph and psychological exam. Unfortunately, Mr. Amichia was able to manipulate his way through the rigorous background process. While we are disappointed that Mr. Amichia was hired as a police officer, we are grateful that he has been arrested and will ultimately be held accountable for his criminal conduct.”

Shortly before hiring Amichia, Engle and the city’s Civil Service Commission, which approves officer candidates, were worried about a steep decline in applications, according to public meeting records. A video of the commission’s June 27 meeting shows the department invited 24 entry-level recruits to an interview panel earlier that month. Seventeen did not respond. One person received a passing score.

At the same meeting, the commission voted to approve Amichia as the Police Department’s sole “advanced entry” candidate. He had completed the state’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy in December 2021 but could not be considered a lateral transfer until he had two years of in-state experience or three years out-of-state. Of three other candidates for the June advanced entry list, two did not show up and one failed the interview.

Amichia resigned from the Bellevue Police Department in lieu of termination the following week because he couldn’t complete the department’s field training program. Three months earlier, Bellevue placed him on a remedial schedule rather than progressing him to the final stage of the program. Training officers noted he lacked basic understanding of laws and included inaccuracies in reports while excluding important facts, among other issues.

Engle and a Puyallup deputy chief first interviewed Amichia several days before his resignation. Engle told city officials in an email: “From what he told us today, his struggles seem pretty normal for an entry level candidate with zero prior police experience.”

While going through the background-check process, Puyallup officials became worried that Amichia wasn’t eligible for public employment due to his immigration status. He later presented a two-year conditional green card from his recent marriage that satisfied Puyallup officials. Officials did not say at what point he’d have to petition to remove the conditional status.

“The RCW specifically states, ‘… or lawful permanent resident.’ He has been granted a conditional permanent resident status for two years,” a human resources employee wrote in a July 12 email to police officials. “I believe he meets the civil service requirement but wanted to share the new information I learned today. If you have any questions please let me know.”

“I agree with your understanding,” human resources director and civil service chief examiner Katie Ortega replied. “Thanks for all the follow up on this.”

Engle called Amichia a “gamble hire” in an email reply shortly thereafter. He also requested an expedited psychological evaluation prior to his background check clearing to “stay ahead” of other agencies recruiting Amichia. Engle did not mention other Pierce County agencies vying for Amichia in his emails.

Portmann told The News Tribune the background checks also typically include talking to numerous references, interviewing neighbors, searching for past law enforcement disciplinary records, investigating potential extremist ties and reviewing social media accounts.

Amichia passed a polygraph and a physical exam without issues arising, according to emails and documents. Engle emailed a human resources employee that he passed a psychological evaluation with “no concerns noted at all,” though the evaluator requested documentation from Amichia’s marriage counseling before a final report. His background check cost $1,350.

About a month later, in mid-August, Engle officially hired Amichia with an annual salary of $98,600. That included a 2% bonus for completing an associate’s degree, which he earned from a Connecticut community college with a 2.07 GPA in 2014, according to hiring documents.

The Police Department’s recruiting woes continued after Amichia’s hiring as retirements opened up more holes.

Public meeting records show the department invited 59 people to interview panels in August. Of the 16 who scheduled interviews, eight passed. Four did not show up, two failed the interview, and two were disqualified due to misconduct at previous agencies.

Four recruits have been hired since Amichia, according to Portmann. Public meeting records show the Police Department began 2023 with one person in the hiring process for three officer openings.

Amichia remained in the Police Department’s field training program until his arrest in March before his final field evaluation to become a full-fledged officer, according to Portmann. Other Puyallup police personnel coordinated with the Sheriff’s Department to arrest him as he started his shift.

Entry-level officers complete a minimum of 18 weeks of field training, while advanced and lateral hires can be shortened based on performance, according to Portmann.

Engle said in a statement announcing Amichia’s firing that he had never worked alone in his seven months with the department. Portmann said his field training was extended due to family tragedy and serious illness, as well his performance, primarily related to report writing.

The Puyallup Police Department had 70 commissioned personnel and four officer openings as of Tuesday, Portmann said. Three people were in the hiring process.