The city of Bozeman, Mont., often served as the first stop for Kent Police Capt. Ron Price and his wife, Lt. Lisa Price, when they took summer motorcycle trips across the Western U.S.
But this summer they will take all of their belongings to Bozeman, when Ron Price starts July 1 as the chief of police for the city of 45,000.
“I did not want to be a chief just to be a chief,” Price said during a May 21 interview at the Kent Police station, where he has worked since 1977. “It had to be in a community that fit with me.”
Bozeman made the short list for Price, 55, so he jumped at the opportunity when the position opened. He will replace Mark Tymrak, who retired in October after leading the department for 13 years.
“It’s a college town (Montana State) with a historic downtown and it’s a destination town for tourism and for commerce,” Price said about what attracted him to Bozeman. “Anyone who lives within 75 miles comes into town for supplies.”
The outdoor activities of mountain biking, skiing and hiking in Bozeman also appealed to the couple.
“It’s exciting,” said Price, who will oversee about 70 employees as chief, including 61 officers. “I’m looking forward to learning about the department and the community.”
“I think he will be an excellent chief,” said Kent Deputy Chief Mike Painter, a close friend and co-worker of Price for nearly 30 years. “Very few police organizations are not ripe for change and I think he’ll be a positive and aggressive breath of fresh air for Bozeman.”
Lisa Price, 51, will retire after 23 years with the Kent Police. She met Ron when they each worked as patrol officers on the graveyard shift. They married in 1996. They have an adult daughter and two grandchildren ages 4 and 3 who live in Kirkland but are moving soon to Port Angeles.
“I’m going to take time to get to know the community and try to determine where I fit as far as what type of next career I might want,” Lisa Price said.
Bozeman city guidelines do not allow Price to work for her husband because he is the chief. Price also could not work for any division her husband supervised in Kent.
“Maybe I will do something law-enforcement-related, but I will not do anything in an uniform on the street,” Lisa Price said. “Maybe I will do nonprofit work.”
Ron and Lisa Price each moved up the ranks over the years in Kent. Ron worked as a field-training officer, K-9 handler, narcotics detective and most recently as commander of the patrol division. He also worked more than three years as commander of the Washington State Basic Law Enforcement Academy in Burien.
Lisa started as a patrol officer in 1987 in Kent. She also has worked as a field-training officer, a bicycle officer as well as a patrol sergeant and lieutenant. She has worked the last few years in support services in charge of hiring and recruiting, community education, volunteers and added duties over the last year as a public information officer.
They moved to Kent six years ago after living in Bonney Lake. They are looking forward to moving to Montana, but know they will miss Kent.
“I’m going to miss the community and the people we work with,” Ron Price said. “I’ve watched the community change over 33 years, which has been amazing, yet Kent has kept its sense of family in the department. They care about people outside and inside the department.”
Lisa Price echoed her husband’s feelings about the Kent Police.
“Kent is well-known for its family-oriented culture,” she said. “This is our family.”
She’ll miss the city and her department.
“Tremendously,” Lisa Price said. “I’ve been here 23 years and have a lot of friendships and history. I really want to be in Bozeman because it will be exciting to be a part of that community and lifestyle and to start a new chapter. But I would not be leaving if Ron were not.”
The two leave behind nearly 60 years of work with the Kent Police.
“They are two wonderful people who have given a lot to the city and will leave their footprint,” Painter said. “They made their mark. They are a stabilizing influence who have done a lot for all of us in the department. They carved a niche in the department. Lisa as a recruiter and leader and Ron as leader of our most publicly visible division overseeing patrol.”
Painter wishes the final day remained years away rather than a few days.
“It’s going to be a hard day to see him go,” Painter said.
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