Welcome Reception Planned for New LFP Police Chief

New Lake Forest Park Police Chief Steve Sutton will take his oath of office Thursday, April 11 following a 6:30 p.m. welcome reception, but he told Patch he's already hit the ground running in his new role.

Sutton said he's been busily generating ideas and listening to resident feedback about issues in LFP since he started working last week.

"I've got a million little sticky notes with ideas," the retired State Patrol Captain said.

Sutton said he sees one of his roles is to bridge the gap between educating the public more about the role of police and promoting a culture of customer service on the part of officers when communicating with the public.

Sutton said one of the main issues he's heard so far is that people feel there are too many traffic stops, but he says a lot of times a traffic stop leads to more important information and prevents a lot of more serious crimes in Lake Forest Park, such as burglary--another big community issue.

"My biggest thing here is just entrenching myself in the community and becoming the face of the police department. It's exciting to represent these individuals," Sutton said, though he realizes it will take time for people to get to know him.

Sutton said he's been receiving feedback about the traffic camera on 35th Street, which some residents feel doesn't need to be on until 4:30 p.m., well after school lets out. He said he'd like to review that to ensure that kids are getting home safely without undue burden on residents.

Sutton himself is the father of 16-year-old triplets, which will necessitate his family maintaining their current home in Gig Harbor for now, but he also has family in the LFP area, where he might stay on particularly late nights, he said.

"They are great students and very involved in athletics and starting to branch out," Sutton told Patch.

The community is invited to a reception welcoming Sutton to Lake Forest Park at 6:30 pm. on Thursday, April 11. The oath of office ceremony for Chief Sutton is scheduled for the City Council Meeting immediately following in the City Council Chambers. All Lake Forest Park citizens are welcome to attend.

Sutton was hired at the City on March 27, 2013. Mayor Mary Jane Goss began recruiting for a new Police Chief in November following the retirement announcement of Chief Dennis Peterson. Peterson retired in January after serving the City of Lake Forest Park for 12 years. Since Peterson’s retirement, the police department has been led by Interim Chief Kent Baxter, on executive loan from the King County Sheriff’s Office.

In addition, Sutton said he hopes to plan a community event to invite feedback from residents.