At its regular Sept. 15 meeting, the Bremerton City Council approved Mayor Greg Wheeler’s appointment of acting Police Chief Tom Wolfe as the Bremerton Police Department’s permanent leader.

He was appointed interim police chief on June 1 following the retirement of James Burchett at the end of May.

Wheeler selected the interim chief for the police chief position in mid-August. The 33-year veteran of the Bremerton police force was first hired in 1988 by the city as a uniformed officer, then rose through the ranks to become a captain in 2003. Wolfe was involved in patrol work, police investigations, training and instruction, and first-level and middle-management leadership.

Wolfe has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Washington State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Xavier University.

“During his career, Tom has been fully engaged with the community, focused on high-quality law enforcement and committed to keeping the public safe,” Wheeler said at the time of his appointment. “His outstanding qualifications, extensive experience with the city and his leadership as interim police chief over these past months have given me confidence in his ability to lead the department and apply the state’s new police reform legislation.”

As police chief, Wolfe will also manage several current city initiatives, including intelligence-led policing efforts, Safe Place, behavioral health and navigator programs, as well as the introduction of body cameras for officers.

Wolfe said he is honored to have been given the opportunity to become the next police chief of Bremerton.

“I am firmly committed to carrying out the state’s police reforms, keeping lines of communication open with the community, and maintaining trust between our officers and the public,” Wolfe said in a news release announcing his interim chief appointment.

“My focus is to continue serving our diverse residents at the highest level and working closely with the exceptional men and women of the Bremerton Police Department.”