Clark County Sheriff-elect Chuck Atkins announced appointments to his command staff Thursday morning, naming Mike Cooke as his undersheriff.
Atkins announced the appointments on his Facebook page, saying that the people he chose are among those he trusts and respects.
Cooke, commander of the Clark-Vancouver Drug Task Force, has 25 years of law enforcement experience. Cooke began his career in the San Francisco Bay area before joining the sheriff’s office in 1994. Since then he has served as a patrol deputy, patrol sergeant and commander.
Atkins also named Vancouver police Lt. John Chapman as his chief criminal deputy. Chapman is a 31-year law enforcement veteran, with experience in patrol, SWAT and investigations. As chief criminal deputy, he will oversee the sheriff’s office patrol and investigations units.
Clark County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Steve Shea, a 29-year veteran who runs the agency’s west precinct, will serve as chief civil deputy. Shea’s experience includes traffic homicide investigations, training, marine enforcement and records management. The chief civil deputy is responsible for the office’s civil functions, including records, property and evidence management.
Chief Corrections Deputy Ric Bishop, a 30-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, will remain in his position overseeing jail operations.
“These law enforcement veterans have proven themselves as capable street-level officers but also as capable and accomplished managers,” Atkins wrote in the post. “They are respected by their peers as leaders in law enforcement and as managers who have not lost touch with the men and women who daily put themselves in harms way to keep our community safe.”
Cooke and Chapman will replace Undersheriff Joe Dunegan and Chief Criminal Deputy Mike Evans, who are gearing up to retire. Chief Civil Deputy Erin Nolan will return to her previous position as a commander in some capacity, Atkins said.
Atkins, a Republican, won the sheriff’s race last week against sheriff’s Sgt. Shane Gardner, a nonpartisan candidate who had gained the backing of Democrats. Atkins won 56 percent of the vote while Gardner earned 43 percent.
Atkins replaces longtime Sheriff Garry Lucas, who will retire at the end of the year.
“Having Garry for 24 years, none of us have seen a transition,” Atkins said. “He’s been a solid force here, so we haven’t seen new guys coming in from the outside or inside.”
He said that when he was considering his command staff, he looked internally first. Ultimately, he said, he “wanted to start with fresh blood and really talented people.”
Atkins said that he worked closely with Chapman, a lieutenant with Vancouver police, on the regional SWAT team and the regional gang task force.
“He is just as class act as it gets in my opinion,” Atkins said. “He’s just got a broad base knowledge of law enforcement in Clark County in all aspects and he’s a people person, and that’s very important.”
Similarly, Atkins said, Cooke “set the tone for the kind of work that we do.”
Atkins said his command staff is planning to transition into their new roles over the next few weeks before swearing in sometime in mid-December and officially assuming their positions Jan. 1.
