Ken Semko, Lacey’s new police chief, will be sworn in Thursday
Ken Semko, the city of Lacey’s new police chief, will be sworn in during Thursday’s City Council meeting. Semko replaces former longtime chief Dusty Pierpoint, who announced his retirement over the summer and departed in October.
Semko, 50, previously spent more than 27 years with the police department in Santa Monica, California.
Although Semko’s swearing-in ceremony will be Thursday, he actually has been on the job for a little more than a week.
During the fist few days on the job, he has been meeting with staff, community members and other community partners in the area, he told The Olympian this week.
“I want to get to know as many as possible and forge a relationship with them as we move into the future,” he said.
Not only is he the city’s new police chief, but it was also important for him to be a Lacey resident.
“I’m very proud to say that,” he said, adding that he has settled in northeast Lacey.
Semko started in 1991 as an officer and rose through the ranks, eventually serving as interim police chief in Santa Monica, The Olympian reported in December. Semko earned his undergraduate degree in sociology and a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
He later was one of six finalists to replace Pierpoint. The city made him a conditional offer, subject to some additional steps, including a background check, before he got the job. He will earn an annual salary of $158,054, according to the city.
Semko is not a stranger to the Northwest. He has family in the Seattle area and his youngest son is a student at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 3:20 PM.
