About Steve




As Police Chief, this blog is a way to share my thoughts as well as the cool things that happen behind the scenes.  It's also an opportunity for me to set the record straight.

While I personally write much of what is on the blog, Joelyn is invaluable and will sometimes make a post in my absence.  If the grammar is messed up, blame her!

A word about the dark side: It’s not too often that people will call us just to say, “Have a great day.”  It’s part of my job to hear the negative and I don’t avoid it.  The blog, however, is a place where I get to control the message.  If you want to share something negative, send me an email, call me, or come see me.  But don't expect me to publish your rants.

A word about me and cops in general: Police officers see the world differently.  When everyone is running away from a bad situation, we’re the 1% running toward it.  We see ourselves as knights in shining armor.  Personally, my favorite call is kicking in a door when I hear a woman screaming for help on the other side.

Some officers are also adrenaline junkies.  I’ve had my share of irrational behaviors as I’ve rock-climbed, cliff-jumped, sky-dived, bungee-jumped. Though, over time my sense of mortality has heightened as illustrated recently when my teen-age daughter taunted me for cliff-jumping off “the sissy ledge” at Green Bay. 

Officers don’t avoid danger. Yet, overall, danger isn’t the key motivator. We face danger with a sense of purpose greater than ourselves.

For me, being a police officer isn’t a job or even a career.  It’s a calling.  I love retired homicide investigator Vernon Geberth’s quote, “We work for God.”

My passion in working for a cause bigger than myself has led me to author two successful novels, obtain an MBA, and receive the Idaho Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award following an undercover stint and drug prevention efforts.

But my biggest success is being married to my best friend for 33 years and raising 7 really cool children.