PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula’s contingent of U.S. Border Patrol agents has a new agent in charge.

The Border Patrol’s Blaine Sector office last week announced that Jay Cumbow is the new head agent of the Port Angeles station, which covers ­Clallam and Jefferson counties.

The station had a force of 36 agents as of mid-September, an increase from four in 2006.

Cumbow, a 15-year Border Patrol veteran whose last posting was in the Rio Grande Valley Sector in south Texas, started work Monday at the agency’s offices at the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building in downtown Port Angeles.

Headquarters

The headquarters are scheduled to be replaced in April by a $5.7 million headquarters being built at 110 S. Penn St., two miles east of the present headquarters.

Cumbow, who replaces Todd McCool, assumed command from Acting Patrol Agent in Charge Jason Carroll, who will stay on as the current assistant patrol agent in charge.

Cumbow will earn between $81,823 and $147,857.

Blaine Sector spokesman Rhett Bowlden said the Border Patrol does not divulge the salaries of specific agents.

Cumbow met in Port Angeles last week for about an hour with Forks Human Rights Group members, said Lindsey Hoare, an organizer of the group.

The Forks Human Rights Group is opposed to the agency’s increased presence in Clallam County’s West End.

The meeting took place at the Border Patrol’s request, Hoare said.

“We had a meeting where we got to say hello and get to know him,” Hoare said.

“I think it’s always good that we keep talking and have communication. We talked about Forks in general.”

No promises

Cumbow, who was not made available by the Border Patrol late last week for an interview, did not make any promises about reducing Border Patrol activity, which includes documented instances of random stops of Latinos in Forks, Hoare said.

But the meeting was still worthwhile, she added.

“It was very encouraging to see that we have ongoing discussions,” Hoare said.

“That in itself is positive.”

Richard Sinks, a Blaine Sector spokesman, said Friday he did not have information about the meeting.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.