Time for one long-time department figure to step away, and another to step up.

The Sequim Police Department last week announced two key staffing changes, with the retirement of Staff Sgt. Sean Madison and the promotion of Detective Sgt. Mike Hill.

Madison retired effective March 31 with 32 years of service accrued in policing, the last 29 with the Sequim Police Department.

“I want to thank Sergeant Sean Madison for his incredible 29 years of service with the Sequim Police Department,” Sequim Police Chief Sheri Crain said.

“He leaves big shoes to fill and will be missed by the city and the Sequim community. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

During his time with the department, Madison was a key contributor to every major milestone the agency achieved, department representatives noted. This culminated with the department’s most recent re-accreditation process in 2020 that Madison managed.

Madison was given the task to build an investigations unit in 2007. He supervised the records unit from 2008-2021 and participated in designing the police portion of the Sequim Civic Center prior to the department’s relocation in 2015.

Promotion

Hill, 44, was promoted to Deputy Chief of Police, effective April 1.

Mike Hill was promoted to deputy police chief on April 1 following the retirement of Detective Sgt. Sean Madison. Photo courtesy of Sequim Police Department

He started his career at the Sequim Police Department as a volunteer reserve police officer in 1998 and was hired as a full-time police officer on Aug. 1, 2001.

Over the past 20 years he has been assigned to patrol and served as a K-9 Officer for about a decade, as a patrol sergeant from 2013-2018, and most recently served as the detective sergeant in charge of investigations.

Hill will take over day-to-day command responsibilities for both the operations and administration functions of the Sequim Police Department.

Hill said he took on various positions in the department because he wanted to ensure he was “competent at different levels.”

“I like Sequim, and once I was hired on I didn’t have any plans to move anywhere else,” he said.

“I’m happy to keep working for Sequim as far into the future as I can.”

Crain said “this is a well-deserved promotion for Mike Hill, and we look forward to the vision, leadership, and hard work we know he will apply to his new responsibilities as Deputy Chief.”

Hill is a third generation Port Angeles resident, with family in Port Angeles and in Sequim. He met his partner, Kori Malone, detective sergeant for Port Angeles Police Department, while in Sequim, he said.

For more information on the Sequim Police Department, visit www.sequimwa.gov or call 360-683-7227.