LYNNWOOD — Police Chief Steve Jensen retired May 31 after 21 years in that job.
The mayor doesn’t expect to name a new chief for several months. Jensen’s departure marks a major change for Snohomish County’s fourth-largest city, where some officers have spent their career under his leadership.
That includes Sgt. Cole Langdon, who has worked in Lynnwood since 1996.
Jensen is “not a warm, fuzzy guy, but once you get to know him, he’s a good man,” Langdon said. “He’s a professional and he expected a lot from his people. If you were working hard and trying to do the right thing, he was looking out for you.”
Jensen, now 66, started as an officer at the police department in Oakland, California, and worked there for 25 years. In Lynnwood, he oversaw significant changes in technology and pushed for more regional police partnerships.
“He really sees the value in collaboration countywide,” said Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, who served with Jensen on the Snohomish County Emergency Radio System board.
Jensen was one of the first police chiefs in the state to approve the use of dashboard cameras, Edmonds Police Chief Al Compaan said. Jensen also was an advocate for the South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force and the North Sound Metro SWAT Team, Compaan said.
Jensen was known for growing volunteer programs. The Lynnwood department has about 75 dedicated volunteers.
Still, he never forgot his roots as a patrol officer in Oakland, Compaan said. Most police chiefs’ political careers mean changing departments once or twice a decade. Jensen didn’t take that route.
“Steven never lost sight of the fundamental vision of law enforcement, and I share that view,” Compaan said. “We don’t crank out widgets, but we enhance public safety quite often by making arrests and solving crimes. Those were always priorities within his organization.”
Jensen also understood that policing was a people business and that police officers, like all people, make mistakes sometimes, Langdon said. Problems were addressed and successes were rewarded, he said.
“He’s never a guy you saw fly off the handle,” Langdon said. “He had that wisdom and calmness about him, and you knew things were going to be okay.”
The only time Langdon ever saw Jensen get emotional was during the recession, when Lynnwood officers were facing layoffs. Jensen also counts that time as the toughest in his career at Lynnwood. The city’s financial stability in the 1990s was part of why he moved to Washington.
At a recent retirement ceremony, Nehring was moved by how many people said they had been mentored by Jensen.
“They told stories of how he had changed their personal and professional lives,” Nehring said. “That was really striking and it really speaks to his integrity and his commitment.”
Part of that commitment was making sure there were people to continue that work, Nehring said. Jensen also referenced that as a point of pride.
Deputy Police Chief Bryan Stanifer is serving as interim chief. Before hiring a new chief, the city plans to study its criminal justice operations, including the jail and municipal court, said Julie Moore, the mayor’s spokeswoman. The police department is budgeted for 70 officers. The chief’s job pays up to $175,000 a year, depending on qualifications.
Meanwhile, Jensen is moving to his second home in Arizona.
“I’ve had 45 years of police work,” he said. “I think I’ve done my share.”
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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