Since July 1, Enumclaw PD has a new top cop.

Tim Floyd, formerly a commander at the police department, has taken over from three-year chief Bob Huebler, who started at the department in 1996 and became chief in 2018. Huebler had previously spent 21 years in the Army, most of that time as a military policeman.

The promotion will have a domino effect on the department’s chain of command.

Prior to becoming chief, Floyd was the support services commander at EPD, overseeing the jail and other non-patrol related duties. It’s one of two commander positions directly under the chief, each of which oversees a different half of the department.

Commander Tony Ryan previously handled operations – the other half of the agency which involves on-the-ground police work – but has now taken Floyd’s old job leading the support services side. Meanwhile, Mike Graddon, formerly a Des Moines Police commander, has moved to Enumclaw PD to take over as operations commander.

Floyd started as a patrol officer at Enumclaw PD in 2013, was promoted to sergeant in February 2018 and became commander only five months later. He’d previously worked at Milton, Puyallup and Fife PDs.

But his interest in police work started when he was a student at Orting High School, from where he graduated in 1993.

“Even in high school, I was very responsible for myself – regimented, routined, pretty black-and-white.” Floyd said. “Followed the rules.”

Floyd’s dad said he could be a good fit for law enforcement, and so Floyd initially looked into becoming a Washington State Patrol trooper. But he realized after a few ride-alongs that he wanted to do more than traffic enforcement. He spent a year in private security in Bellevue after graduating from Central Washington University in 1997, then started at Milton PD in 1998.

“(Floyd has) experience as an officer, as a supervisor, as a commander. He has proven that experience since he was hired here,” Huebler said. “And as commander, he has excelled. … Not everybody is cut out for that one position to oversee everybody. Tim is a natural leader. You give him a thought or idea, and now suddenly he’s already executed it for you.”

Departments around the country are having trouble hiring, Floyd said. But fully-staffed and even prepared to backfill for future vacancies, Enumclaw PD is in a good position, the chiefs said, and the community is more supportive than most, both in- and outside the department.

“We feel very lucky to work here,” Floyd said. “We have good morale and teamwork in this building at this time. It hasn’t always been that way, but we’ve worked hard to get it that way. … That’s not the norm in law enforcement. We have good camaraderie inside these walls, and you don’t see that everywhere.”

The community shields the department from some of the stressors and negative attitudes that other police forces face, Floyd said: “You couldn’t pay me enough to work in Seattle. There’s no way. And I think most of our officers would say the same thing.”

Moving forward, Floyd said he wants to encourage more of those proactive interactions with the public, like the department’s Safe Rider Program, which started June 14. Officers and firefighters are giving coupons for free frozen yogurt to kids on bikes, scooter, skateboards if they’re properly wearing helmets.

When someone’s typical encounter with a cop is often either being pulled over or needing help in an emergency, it helps to build in a few more positive, low-key interactions like the helmet coupons, Floyd said.

“We want to find every opportunity we can to have a positive interaction with them,” Floyd said. “We do foot patrols through downtown most Friday and Saturday nights, just talking to people.”