Federal Way welcomes 6 new police officers

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell gave the oath of office to six new members of the Federal Way Police Department at the Sept. 18 council meeting.

The new officers include Jon Dietrich, Christopher Cabrera, Chad Barnes, Geoffrey Wilkes, Justin Driver and Richard “Rick” Klein.

In addition, officer Justin Gregson was promoted to corporal and recieved a pinning on his badge during the meeting.

Dietrich is an entry level officer who graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Academy on July 19. Dietrich has two graduate degrees, one in ministries from Northwest Baptist Seminary and the other in medicine from Louisiana State University. Dietrich could be a doctor but wanted to follow his passion of becoming a police officer. He is married to his wife, Rachel, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth (7) and Hannah (5).

Cabrera comes to the department with two years of law enforcement experience at the Lake Alfred Police Department in Florida. He was in the Marine Corps for four years, and has played semi-pro football. Cabrera has been married for seven years to his wife, Bertha, and they have two dogs, Shelby and Lexi.

Barnes arrives in Federal Way after five years of law enforcement experience in the central Missouri area. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He has been in the Army National Guard for almost 13 years, serving as an infantryman and a combat engineer. Barnes has deployed overseas twice and plans to continue to serve in the Army National Guard until retirement. He is single and enjoys fishing, camping, and biking.

Wilkes has been a police officer for the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the past five-and-a-half years. He worked his entire police career in the uniform patrol division. Wilkes served four years in the United States Navy where he was a member of the Honor Guard team for the USS Harry S. Truman. He has been married for 15 years to his wife, Eryn. They have a son, Wesley (13) and a daughter, Hailey (11). Wilkes’ hobbies include riding motorcycles and playing sports with his children.

Driver spent more than 10 years at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department assigned to the patrol division. The last seven years he served as a bicycle patrol officer in a specialty unit working the Las Vegas Strip. Driver is married to his wife, Karly, and they have three sons, Liam, Colin, and Cyrus. He enjoys riding bicycles, going to the gym, and spending time with his family.

Klein comes to the Federal Way Police Department to continue after serving more than 22 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. During his tenure in Las Vegas he was a field training officer and worked in the Gang Unit, SWAT, ProAct, and Traffic. He was promoted to sergeant in 2006. Klein is excited to leave the desert and spend time in the colorful Northwest. Born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Klein, who speaks Spanish fluently, came to the U.S. as a child and obtained U.S. citizenship. He is married to his wife, Denise, and has three adult children.

Gregson has been with the Federal Way Police Department since 2015 and was appointed to the rank of corporal. He has over six years of law enforcement experience. He began his career with the Washington State Patrol in 2012, where he was assigned to the I-5 corridor in Pierce County. He is currently a member of the Valley Civil Disturbance Unit, Major Accident Investigation Team, Peer Support Team, and a field training officer. Gregson served eight years in the U.S. Army Reserve. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University earning a bachelor of arts in sociology with an emphasis in crime and deviance and a minor in psychology. While enrolled at PLU, he met his wife, Afton, and they have been married for nearly nine years.