MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Police Department is proud to announce the promotion of two veteran officers to the rank of commander, which Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith explained were key command staff-level promotions at a time of tremendous growth in the community in recent years.

Lieutenants Jeff Goldman and Wendy Wade were sworn in as the newest of the department’s three commander positions, joining Marysville Police Operations Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux. While their skill-sets may differ — one is more focused on relations, while the other is more operationally driven — their talents will augment and serve the command team well, according to Smith.

“We have a lot of talented people in our organization,” Smith said. “These are two rising stars who are ready to take command. They lead by our principles to do the right thing, for the right reason, at the right time.”

Goldman joined the department in 1989 after being honorably discharged from the Army military police. He was first hired as a custody officer, then donned the police uniform soon after. Goldman served as a field training officer, and on the county’s gang task force, before being promoted to sergeant in 1994. He later served as a field training officer coordinator, as team leader of the Civil Disobedience Unit that was summoned to WTO in Seattle, and as a SWAT team member and commander. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2007, and more recently has served as an acting commander.

Goldman has twice been named Officer of the Year, in 1990 and again in 2002, and received the Chief’s Meritorious Service Award in 2007. Among his affiliations, Goldman volunteers at various church group events, Special Olympics, Marysville Community Coalition (now Marysville Together), the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA and various fundraising events.

“Jeff’s operational planning for us is key,” Smith said. “To pull it all together and manage it, he has been outstanding.”

Goldman and his wife, Jacki, who works in administration in the Marysville Police Department, have four children.

Wade has established what Smith deemed a stellar track record since joining the force in July of 1990, serving in various divisions, including operations, patrol, support and training.

After earning a degree in education from Central Washington University and teaching at Marysville Junior High School in her hometown, she shifted career tracks and joined the department as a patrol officer. She expanded her duties by becoming one of the city’s first D.A.R.E. officers, and an original member of the department’s Bicycle Patrol in the early 1990s. She was later assigned to the department’s Detectives Division, then took on duties as the department’s first school resource officer.

Wade was promoted to patrol sergeant in July of 2001 and training sergeant nine years later, then advanced to lieutenant not long after, overseeing Professional Standards. She was named Supervisor of the Year in 2007.

Smith credited Wade’s teaching background and strong communications skills with making her a natural fit for commander. She created and implemented the Marysville Police Citizens Academy, participated in Marysville University civics classes, and helped coordinate a series of community forums last year, hosted by the department and the Marysville Community Coalition.

“Wendy is out there with the community,” Smith said. “She gets input from community members, and she makes it actionable.”

Wade described herself as honored by the promotion.

“I have been with the Marysville Police Department since 1990, and have been part of the many changes that have occurred, and I embrace the challenge of this new position,” Wade said.

Wade is the first woman to be promoted into the department’s upper administrative ranks. She and her husband, Ron, have two children.

The Marysville Police Department’s chain of command is built around a three-commander structure of Administrative, Operations and Support. Lamoureux oversees Operations and Goldman will run the Administrative command, while Wade will oversee Support, taking over for Cmdr. Ralph Krusey, who just recently put in his papers for retirement, after an extensive career in law enforcement spanning 42 years, including 14 years in Marysville, 26 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, and drug trafficking enforcement with the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in Tukwila.

“Ralph has been an absolutely tremendous leader who knows what it means to put time and effort into other people,” Smith said. “In Marysville, we are blessed, we are richer, we are fuller because of the work that he has done.”