Show and tell: Vicky Peltzer came ready to prove her point

It wasn’t the good first impression Vicky Peltzer had in mind.

University of Washington Police Chief Vicky Peltzerstands by as a group of protesters prepare for a demonstration against the World Trade Organization.

The UW police chief only wanted to appear qualified, professional, friendly and perfect for the job. Instead, Peltzer’s performance at last summer’s job interview was particularly, well, arresting. During some downtime prior to meeting with UW officials, she took a relaxing stroll, enjoyed the view of Mount Rainier and oh, by the way, helped nab a thief.

“I watched him scouting out the bike rack and I knew what he was up to,” she laughed while recounting the event recently from her office overlooking the ship canal. “I had to do something.”

So the veteran Albuquerque, N.M., street cop headed into the nearby library and called the police to report the suspicious behavior.

“The dispatcher did a very good job. He did exactly what he was supposed to do and found out what happened and who I was. But when I said my name there was just this silence.”

The man was arrested, the bike was recovered and then the laughs started. The dispatcher had recognized Peltzer’s name as a candidate for the police chief opening. The news spread and by the time she got to her first of two days worth of interviews, Peltzer’s story was the talk of the entire police force.

“There was a lot of ribbing,” she said.

Maybe, but it obviously didn’t hurt her chances of landing the job. In fact, Eric Mosher, Peltzer’s supervisor, said he found the incident indicative of the kind of leader Peltzer has become.

“It was very impressive,” Mosher, the acting assistant vice president of business services, said.

“It certainly got some people’s attention. She obviously had a certain awareness of the environment and a feel for what was going on. The thief’s behavior could easily have been overlooked, but she didn’t. She had the foresight to contact someone.”

And even if she hadn’t, Mosher said Peltzer - UW’s first female police chief - is the right person for the job.

“She was hired because of her focus on communication and on establishing an atmosphere of teamwork,” Mosher said. “She has a strong commitment to community-oriented policing. That’s kind of a buzzword but it means a focus on interacting with the client and providing security.”

It’s an approach that Peltzer said is perhaps more useful on a college campus than on the city streets.

“Coming from a city environment with lots of crime, basically, you just respond to calls,” she said. “That’s the focus. But at the university it’s much more about taking preventative measures. It’s a lot more of a positive situation than a negative situation. Here, we’re very service oriented.”

And, being on a campus means developing an understanding for a very specific kind of clientele - students.

“Young minds are in that creative mode and they’re away from home and eager to try new things,” she said. “It’s natural. It’s a part of maturing and it’s a part of the educational process. We try to let them know what the parameters are. We help them so that they don’t go over the line and do something criminal that won’t go away.

“In a university setting, we’re very concerned with First Amendment rights and allowing both sides to express their opinions. The police force here is superb in handling those situations. I rely on their expertise.”

Members of the force are equally complimentary of Peltzer. In fact, Lieutenant Lee Fjellanger said Peltzer was a strong favorite among officers and supervisors who interviewed the finalists for the position.

“It’s her leadership, her knowledge, her experience and her ability to listen and communicate with people,” that most impress Fjellanger, a 26-year veteran of the UW Police Department. “She does listen, she does learn and she does care about the overall community. It’s really a pleasing work environment.”

Peltzer said not even the unruly protests surrounding the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference last week in Seattle can dampen the work environment on the UW police force. For one thing, she said, things were kept relatively in check on campus.

“We’re pleased that there was minimum damage at the University.”

And even after witnessing the kind of havoc that plagued downtown last week, she doesn’t waver when it comes to the First Amendment. She said suppressing free speech isn’t something she’s willing to do.

“Not at all. It’s just part of the job.” ¶