Des Moines Chief of Police, Ken Thomas made the following announcement on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019:

I would like to announce and introduce the hiring of Assistant Chief Mark Couey who joined our Command staff team on Monday, August 19, 2019.

Mark’s roles will include oversight of the Emergency Management Division and will prepare to take over the Detective unit and Support Services when Commander Jenkins retires.

Mark spent 27 years with the Washington State Patrol where he served in the following roles: Line Trooper, Field Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain. In addition to various training throughout his career, Couey was selected to attend the 232nd session of the FBI National Academy in 2008.

Mark retired from the Washington State Patrol in February 2012 and accepted a position with the Office of Insurance Commissioner (OIC) as the Director of the Criminal Investigations Unit. The purpose of the unit is to investigate all criminal matters about fraud and related offenses as outlined in state statute. He oversaw 14 detectives, crime analysts and support staff with an assigned King County Prosecutor and 1 Washington State Patrol detective.

While Couey enjoyed his job at the OIC, he is excited about the new challenges at the Des Moines Police Department. Having been involved in law enforcement for over 35 years, he feels his experience and expertise will bring a valued benefit to the organization. I too, am excited to have such an experienced law enforcement individual join our team at Des Moines. KB

– Ken Thomas, Police Chief

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