Chief Deputy Stacy Brown, who will be heading the police at Evergreen State College.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office's chief civil deputy is moving up, taking a position as Chief of Police Services at Evergreen State College.
Chief Deputy Stacy Brown came to the sheriff's office just over 20 years ago, working as a patrol deputy, a detective for five years with a specialty in sex crimes and child abuse, a sergeant overseeing the detective division and more.
Since 2009, Brown has been responsible for the special services bureau, and is part of the sheriff's command staff.
Next, Brown will lead a department with nine commissioned law enforcement officers at Evergreen, a 1,000-acre campus in Olympia with more than 4,000 students.
The announcement was made yesterday. Her last day is Sept. 12.
"It is bittersweet, I will miss everyone here so much," Brown said. "Lewis County feels like a second home."
Brown, who resides in Thurston County, said she's looking forward to working with a great new team.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Evergreen in 2006, while working full time, so she already has an idea of what the culture is like, she said.
Police Services at Evergreen has its own dispatch center and Brown will also oversee campus parking services, with several employees.
Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza asked his employees yesterday to join him in congratulating Brown and thanking her for her dedicated service.
"Chief Brown has done an excellent job in a myriad of positions during her tenure with our office, and has led our special services bureau with pride, professionalism, and dedication," Snaza stated in an email message.
The departure of the top-ranking female deputy leaves the sheriff's office with no female deputies. Until Deputy Sue Shannon left last year after more than 20 years as a patrol deputy, the two women were the only commissioned law enforcement officers in the organization.
The now-46-year-old started her career in public safety as a dispatcher for the Washington State Patrol. She hired on at the sheriff's office in May 1996 and has worked for three sheriffs.
In her current position, which she is leaving behind, she has a wide range of duties, conducted along the 13 staff members she supervises.
The special services bureau includes the sheriff's office's records division, the property and evidence division and the civil division.
"We're responsible for all the evictions in the county and all the civil processes," Brown said. "Like writs of execution, when someone owes money and someone can go after real or personal property."
Brown and her people do the work involved in satisfying court judgements, whether trying to obtain a child to return to the rightful parent, or seizing property and holding sheriff's auctions. They also process gun permits and handle fingerprinting.
Perhaps her best-recognized role has been public information officer for the past nine years, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.
Brown said today she had thought she would retire from the sheriff's office, but she's very excited about the next step in her career.
"I just hope people understand how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to serve the community, from the bottom of my heart," she said.