Mike Mitchell says police work gets in your blood, and it has been in his for about as long as he can remember.

&#8220From the time I grew up I always watched the cop shows,” Mitchell said.

Last week, the boy who grew up watching Adam-12 on television and dreaming of chasing bad guys took over the reins of the Bonney Lake Police Department, replacing Interim Chief Buster McGehee.

Mitchell, who was assistant chief at the Mountlake Terrace Department near Seattle before getting the top job in Bonney Lake, said his first week was a good one, though he does feel a bit like a &#8220fish out of water” now that he's in a new department for the first time in 15 years.

&#8220All of sudden you don't know anything,” he said.

He hopes, however, Bonney Lake will be the final step in a career that has taken him from the saw mills of the shore to policing the North Sound and beyond.

Mitchell, 50, grew up in a &#8220fairly nomadic family,” living in Bellingham before moving to Grays Harbor County. He graduated from J.M. Weatherwax High School in Aberdeen.

After graduation, Mitchell was accepted to Washington State University, but a lack of funding kept him from becoming a Cougar. Instead, he decided to work for a year in one of the local mills to save money for school.

&#8220That never works,” he said, admitting to using the money to buy a new car.

Mitchell spent more than five years working as a welder, machinist and metal fabricator and spent time in the Weyerhaeuser pulp mill before his stepfather's death led him to start thinking, &#8220life is short.”

Deciding it was time to act on his childhood dream of being a cop, Mitchell joined the Grays Harbor Sheriff's Department as a reserve officer, eventually earning a provisional position, all the while putting in &#8220long days” at the mill.

He eventually gained a full-time position with the Hoquiam Police Department, working patrol before moving up to detective an then the arson unit.

His career path soon led him back to the Sheriff's Department though, before he decided it was time to leave Grays Harbor County.

He applied to several departments and was offered a job in Mountlake Terrace.

&#8220Been there ever since,” he said.

Mitchell worked his way through the Mountlake Terrace force as a patrol officer, a narcotics detective, a patrol sergeant and as supervisor for the Three City Joint Narcotics Task Force before becoming assistant chief five years ago.

Unfortunately, his chief was roughly his age so advancement possibilities were limited.

Meanwhile, Mitchell was developing a &#8220burning desire” to run his own department. He said he was selective about the departments to which he applied, wanting to find something the right size, though he admits he was &#8220also looking for a place to live.”

The city had to be large enough to have interesting police work, but still allow for him to continue his outdoor hobbies, such as bow hunting, fishing and riding his four-wheelers.

&#8220Bonney Lake fit that type of mold,” he said, adding it was the &#8220perfect size.”

After interviewing with the mayor, he knew he wanted to come to the Plateau. Since getting the job Aug. 2, the chief and his wife of 13 years, Sue, have been taking drives around Bonney Lake, checking out the terrain and looking for a new home.

&#8220We're just trying to get a feel of the area,” he said. &#8220We're anxious to move down and be part of the community.”

The new chief says his initial impressions of Bonney Lake are positive, though it seems less dense than Mountlake Terrace, a city of approximately 20,000.

&#8220You would never see something like this in Mountlake Terrace,” he said, pointing at a field on a recent drive through the city.

Mitchell sees the biggest issues facing the department as traffic and drugs as well as domestic violence.

Mitchell said his philosophy of police work involves a community-oriented approach and he hopes to have officers patrol the neighborhoods and talk to citizens.

&#8220I want to work more with the community, the park board, the business community and let them know they can come talk to us,” he said. &#8220It keeps us more in tune with the people that live here.”

He is also considering a volunteer program, like one established in Mountlake Terrace.

&#8220That was a big help to the police,” he said. &#8220The community sometimes help solve a lot of problems.”

As for the department, which has been through some upheaval and was initially upset by the mayor's choice of new chief, Mitchell said he is by no means looking to be the savior of the department, which he said is in great shape thanks in part to the work of McGehee, who will remain available to help with the transition.

&#8220I just need to help to build on that and continue it,” he said. &#8220I'm not trying to come in and fix things that aren't broken.”

For now, Mitchell is getting acquainted with his new role and his new office. He has unpacked the clock and pen set that was given to him by his outgoing department as well as photographs of a 5-year-old Mountlake Terrace boy that befriended him. He also plans to soon hang some of the wildlife photos he has taken on trips throughout the Northwest.

He expects few problems in the switch to Bonney Lake and plans to get started right away.

&#8220Police work is police work,” he said. &#8220You're out there trying to solve problems and help people.”

Brian Beckley can be reached at bbeckley@courierherald.com.