Sequim Police Department leaders recently named sergeant John Southard as the next deputy chief.

He’ll start in the new role May 1.

Southard will help lead the department alongside new police chief Mike Hill, who was sworn in on March 1. Hill was deputy chief for retired chief Sheri Crain, the department’s first person appointed deputy chief.

Southard was hired as a Sequim police officer in June 2007 and later promoted to patrol sergeant in January 2017. He retired from service in August 2021 but returned on March 1, 2023 as patrol sergeant.

Hill said the city is fortunate to have Southard because of his background in the U.S. Army National Guard and as a research scientist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

“These experiences have provided him with expertise in tactics, training, and emergency management that have been invaluable to the department and have prepared him for his role as deputy chief,” he said.

Prior to starting with Sequim Police Department, Southard was a volunteer officer. He also served as a Sergeant First Class in the Army National Guard Reserves with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011-2012 as a combat advisor, retiring from the Army in 2018 after 21 years of service.

Southard volunteered with Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, and worked as a research scientist at PNNL-Sequim.

He’s served as a Field Training Officer, a member of the Training Cadre and is SWAT trained.

Southard earned a bachelor of science degree from Western Washington University in environmental policy and assessment.

Photo courtesy City of Sequim/ In January 2017, Sequim Police Chief Sheri Crain congratulates Sergeant John Southard during his swearing-in ceremony to become patrol sergeant. He was named deputy chief, effective May 1, 2024.