Sumner's New Deputy Police Chief: Community Makes it Easy to Give Back

Sumner's new deputy police chief isn't all that new to Sumner.

Deputy Chief Jeff Engel has actually served with the police department since 1998, starting off as a patrol officer.

But the promotion is pretty new - he was sworn in to his new position on July 16 by Mayor Dave Enslow after a nationwide search to fill the position. According to the city, they found their talent in-house. "Engel rose to the top," said last week's city e-newsletter.

Over the course of his career in Sumner, Engel served as a patrol officer; he also served three years as a school resource officer teaching DARE and crime prevention.

He held the rank of sergeant for the last nine years.

Engel said his new role is heavily administrative - he oversees the department's patrol and investigations operations as well as evidence and the bailiff. But depending on the severity of an incident and staff resources, he'll still be on the street as necessary. 

Public service, after all, is in his bloodline. Engel's grandfather was both police and fire chief in his hometown of Stewartville in Minnesota. His father and uncles were all +20-year firefighters. "It's all I've ever known," he said.

Engel carved his path through serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, starting off working drug smuggling cases in the Caribbean. He was on active duty search and rescue which eventually brought him to Seattle, and he never left.

"I fell in love with the Northwest," he said. "And I enjoyed the law enforcement aspect of the Coast Guard, so I decided to do it full time."

Having settled in this area, Engel remains in the Coast Guard Reserve after 29 years of service.

His 15 years in the Sumner Police Department has also given him a unique perspective on how things have and haven't changed in the scope of crime. When he first started in 1998, Engel said, crimes stemming from methamphetamine use and production were dominant. Now, it's been replaced by prescription drug abuse such as oxycodone. Opiates are big and heroine use is on the rise.

Though Sumner is still a small community, the warmer summer months invite opportunist criminals who take advantage of unlocked and unsecured vehicles and doors to steal property. 

Also, Engel said he can't explain but has noted an increase regionally in vehicle thefts as well this summer, particularly of trucks. 

"Lock your vehicle doors," he said. "Don't leave valuables in plain sight. Secure your windows in your homes overnight."

In this day in age, it makes sense for citizens to be cautious, but Engel said he still enjoys working in Sumner because it is still a small community. "I love the community," he said. "There's a small town flavor. We have great partners with the school district, with businesses and with citizens. Everyone is so supportive of the police department that it's easy to give back."

Officers will be very visible over the next several weeks given the number of events happening in town, he said. "It's one of the special things about Sumner in the summer. There's always something to do in this town."