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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Christie Wood: In Praise of Chief Carpenter

As the retirement date of my Chief grows closer every day I have found myself thinking about her next chapter in life. Even though I am the PIO (I think DFO calls me the PRMistress) I am writing this sincerely as an employee. Wendy Carpenter has been a fixture of CDAPD for 30 years. Many people do not have a sense of who she is because she is not a flamboyant, ego driven, center of media attention, top to down ruler of the Kingdom. Those type of people are usually much more visible in the community but not in a good way. As I talk about her retirement I want to tell you who she is. Wendy is incredibly balanced and focused on the day to day work. She is in the office or on the street right along side either the detective or watch commander in charge of a crime scene. She listens, offers guidance, but mostly gives the people working the incident a sense that she trusts and supports them. The flip side of that is she is also very keen to mistakes made by officers and she addresses it right away. When I started my career in 1990 she was a patrol officer. I have watched her climb the ranks of promotion due to her work ethic. She is her own personal taskmaster. Her desk is never left messy at the end of the day. When we worked in detectives together she had her cases completely investigated and typed up long before anyone else. I have NEVER seen her take a coffee break or go out to lunch since becoming Chief.

Full post here

Sgt. Christie Wood
Coeur d'Alene Police Department



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.