LAKE STEVENS — Police Chief Dan Lorentzen announced Friday that he is leaving the department.
The city’s new mayor, John Spencer, wanted a change in direction.
“I think we have a tremendous opportunity to bring in a police chief with experience who can help us grow,” Spencer said. “We have areas that haven’t been annexed that we’re looking to annex and we’ve been growing a lot organically in the city.”
He described Lorentzen’s departure as “amicable” and praised the outgoing chief for being a “real quality, class act.”
Lorentzen, 48, grew up in Lake Stevens and graduated from Lake Stevens High School. He has been with the department since 1991 and police chief since 2012. He took charge of the department during a time of painful growth and significant reforms, starting as interim chief before officially taking helm. His last day will be Feb. 29.
Lorentzen is a contract employee. Under his contract, if he is fired without cause, he must be given six months of severance pay, public records show. His salary is $123,000.
Spencer took office in January and plans to hire an interim police chief by March 1. The city is looking for candidates from the West Coast, he said. He’s hoping to bring new leadership and enthusiasm to the 30-officer department, which serves the fifth biggest city in Snohomish County.
“My philosophy is that for organizations to grow, there has to be an outside factor,” he said. “We can’t move forward by keeping things the same.”
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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