Months after retiring, former Puyallup police chief lands new job not far away

Former Puyallup Police Chief Bryan Jeter will start this month as the new chief of Bonney Lake Police Department.

Bonney Lake City Council confirmed Mayor Neil Johnson’s appointment of Jeter at a meeting on May 22. Jeter will start on June 4 and be sworn in on June 18.

“He probably gathered a lot of knowledge and experience in a much larger city and different environments,” City Council member Dan Swatman said during the meeting. “It's really a great pleasure to see him come back and apply his knowledge and skills here in the city.”

Jeter retired from the Puyallup Police Department with little fanfare in December after working for Puyallup for 12 years. Previously, he worked for Bonney Lake PD for 16 years, four years as chief.

"It wasn't really on the radar (to return to law enforcement)," Jeter said in an interview with The Herald on Friday. "When this opportunity came up, I thought it would be great to come back."

A Bonney Lake resident for 22 years, Jeter said the city has really changed.

"The city has almost doubled in population since I left," he said. "I'm excited to get to know the people in the community, and I want to hear from them. I want them to participate in law enforcement."

Jeter will step in for Police Chief Dana Powers, who’s retiring after 26 years with Bonney Lake PD.

“Things just worked out for the right reasons because he was available and made my decision to retire much easier,” Powers said.

Powers was hired at Bonney Lake PD in June 1992 and previously worked three years in the city of Tacoma.

“It's been an amazing career,” Powers said. “Definitely in any career you have your ups and downs, but there's been more ups than downs here.”

Powers, 52, cited the creation of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program and Marine Services Unit as some of the highlights of her career.

A Bonney Lake resident, Powers looks forward to traveling and working on house projects. She’ll continue to coach swimming at Sumner High School, which she’s done for nine years.

Powers said the city is in good hands with Jeter, specifically with the issue of homelessness.

“I know Chief Jeter has dealt with that down in Puyallup,” Powers said. “He's well-versed in Puyallup's issue with homelessness, along with finding solutions.”

A reception will be held for Powers at Bonney Lake PD at 4:30 p.m. on June 14, her last official day.

This story was originally published June 1, 2018 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Months after retiring, former Puyallup police chief lands new job not far away."