Lt. Patrick Burke, a 12-year veteran of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD), will be the new chief of police for the City of University Place. He assumes the position from Greg Premo, who is retiring after nearly 30 years with the PCSD, the last four as U.P.’s police chief.
Burke has been with the PCSD since 2011 and has worked as a patrol officer and in contract assignments with Pierce Transit, the Puyallup School District and the City of Edgewood. He has been a use of force instructor for 10 years and served on PCSD’s SWAT team for five years. Burke holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pacific Lutheran University where he also played football.
In introducing Lt. Burke to the community, Premo said he believes U.P.’s new police chief will be a great fit for the position, noting Burke brings “the right skill set, character and personality to fit well in University Place.”
In his first remarks to the community, Burke said he feels privileged to follow in Premo’s footsteps. “I have been watching and learning from Chief Premo and have been blown away by his leadership and the example he has set for me,” he said.
Burke will oversee the City’s existing 16-person police force which, thanks to the passage of a dedicated public safety levy, will grow to include eight additional U.P. patrol and traffic officers, as well as a specialist to address park safety, homelessness and crime prevention. The additional personnel will enable U.P. to keep pace with its growing population and rising calls for service.
“Thanks to Chief Premo’s tireless efforts to educate the community about the need for additional staff to meet our increasing public safety needs, Lt. Burke is taking the reins of the UPPD at the very best time,” said U.P. Mayor Steve Worthington. “I think it goes without saying that we, as a community, owe Chief Premo a huge debt of gratitude for what he did to advocate for the additional funding, despite the fact that he was retiring just weeks after the levy passed and would never get to reap its benefits.”
Before leaving, Premo offered a special note of gratitude to the people he served for the last four years. “Thank you to the citizens of University Place. This is such a supportive community. It has been an honor to meet all of you and to work in this wonderful city,” he said. “It really is a special place. Stay safe and God bless you all.”
