HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-25 - Appointment - Bruce Linton to Police Chief
MEDIA RELEASE
September 25, 2017
Contact:
Rachel Bianchi, City of Tukwila
206 396 0341 cell
Rachel.Bianchi@TukwilaWA.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tukwila, WA: Mayor Allan Ekberg has appointed Bruce Linton to replace Mike Villa as the
Tukwila Police Department’s Chief of Police. Chief Villa recently accepted a position as the Port
of Seattle’s Deputy Chief of Administrative Bureau. Chief Villa’s last day with the Tukwila Police
Department will be Sunday, October 15, 2017.
“We are fortunate to have such a deep bench in the Tukwila Police Department, and Bruce will
be an outstanding Chief,” commented Mayor Allan Ekberg. “He has served this community for
more than 23 years and is a dedicated public servant. Bruce’s commitment to community
policing and increasing engagement between police officers and the community make him the
perfect fit for this important position.”
Chief Linton has served as Deputy Police Chief since 2012. Prior to that promotion he had a
variety of responsibilities in the Department, from serving as the Accreditation/Administrative
Sergeant for the Tukwila Police Department to Patrol Commander. A Commanding General
within the Washington Army National Guard, Chief Linton has served for 35 years in the military.
The first six years of his service was as an enlisted soldier at Fort Lewis and in South Korea. As
a member of the Washington Army National Guard, he was deployed for 18 months in Kuwait
and southern Iraq where he led an aviation battalion as a part of the Second Gulf War.
“I am honored to be appointed by the mayor to serve as the next Police Chief of this great city. I
love Tukwila and am proud of the great men and women who make up the Tukwila Police
Department,” said Deputy Chief Linton. “I am committed to continuing to build trust between our
officers and community and pledge to be a Chief that is very active and highly visible throughout
Tukwila.”
A key leader in the Tukwila Police Department, Chief Linton has led many projects for the
organization, including serving as the Incident Commander for Operation Take Back Our
Boulevard, a multi-agency operation that resulted in the raid and seizure of three crime-ridden
motels along Tukwila International Boulevard in 2013. Since this operation, crime in the Tukwila
International Boulevard neighborhood has decreased significantly. Chief Linton was also
instrumental in the City’s recent passage of the Public Safety Plan, the City’s pilot Unmanned
Aerial Systems Program, and the design and build of the Department’s mobile command
vehicle.
The Tukwila City Council must confirm Bruce Linton as the new Police Chief. The confirmation
is included on the Council’s agenda for the meeting on Monday, October 16, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
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If confirmed, Bruce Linton will be the 24 leader of the Tukwila Police Department and will be
immediately sworn in.
Chief Linton and his wife Heidi live in Puyallup, with their two school-age daughters, Brenna, 17,
and Savannah, who is nearly 14.
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