Port Angeles’ man of iron is in the homestretch of his 30 years carrying a badge.
Port Angeles Police Chief Tom Riepe will retire Tuesday, exactly 30 years and a day after he was sworn in as a Port Angeles patrol officer in 1977.
He leaves behind a police force of 33 officers that fields the most emergency calls on the North Olympic Peninsula – more than 18,000 in 2006.
And during his seven years as chief, the department has done so with a professionalism handed down from the top.
“He’s a gem. He’s articulate. He’s caring and professional beyond belief,” said Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict.
“There’s no ego, (even though) he’s been kind of an ad hoc leader on the Peninsula.”
