Full Notification

Lieutenant Mike Cook of the Petaluma Police Department has announced his intention to retire in August after 28 years of service to the department and citizens of Petaluma.

Lieutenant Cook was born and raised in Petaluma and is a fourth generation Petaluman. He graduated from Petaluma High School in 1982 and began his employment with the police department in January 1986.

Lieutenant Cook quickly earned an exceptional reputation as a police officer. He received commendations on numerous occasions for his tactical skills, investigative tenacity and his compassion with crime victims. Lieutenant Cook served on the SWAT team, earning a first place award in a FBI SWAT Sniper Team competition.. As a Field Training Officer, he trained and mentored over twenty police officers. Lieutenant Cook also served as a narcotics detective prior to his promotion to sergeant in 1992.

As a Petaluma Police Sergeant, Lieutenant Cook served as a patrol supervisor, SWAT team supervisor, K9 team supervisor and Field Training supervisor. He continued to earn formal recognition on many occasions for his role in multi-agency enforcement operations and critical allied agency investigations.

Lieutenant Cook was promoted to his current rank in 2001. During the past thirteen years, he has been an invaluable member of the command staff and made several important contributions to the Petaluma Police Department. His tireless dedication and administrative talent led to several significant grant acquisitions, training development, and equipment procurements. Lieutenant Cook was also frequently called upon to help other regional law enforcement agencies with promotional processes.

Lieutenant Cook holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. His is a graduate of the POST Supervisory Leadership Institute, and Command College as well as the WestPoint Leadership Program. One of his most recent contributions to our community has been his leadership in implementing our Petaluma Policing Initiative and re-organizing the department’s organizational response to community concerns.

Lieutenant Cook and his wife Kelly reside in Petaluma where they raised two children. One of their children recently graduated from University of Nevada, Reno and the other will be attending the University of Montana this fall.

According to Chief Patrick Williams, “Over the past twenty- eight years Mike’s contributions to the citizens of our community and to the people of our organization have been unprecedented. He has played a crucial role, both personally and professionally, in protecting and serving our community as well as developing our law enforcement personnel. Mike’s well-earned retirement leaves a tremendous void and we are indebted to him for his selfless service in support of our important work. We wish him and his family well.”

Prepared by Chief Patrick Williams, Petaluma Police Department