Bothell City Manager Bob Stowe noted that when now former Bothell Police Chief Forrest Conover first joined the city force in 1984, there was no such thing as cell phones, not even pagers.
Stowe added that back then, city police kept track of suspects with 3-by-5-inch note cards. Still, even with a population of only 6,500, Bothell did have an undercover police vehicle: an AMC Gremlin.
Conover officially retired as Bothell’s police chief Jan. 31. He was honored — and ribbed, of course — during a public retirement party Jan. 27 at the Eastside Foursquare Church in Bothell.
The Bothell Police Department is the only department Conover has worked for in a 27-year law-enforcement career. Stowe and others noted he is the only person to ever hold every rank within the department, from street-level officer to chief.
Serving as sort of a master-of-ceremonies for the retirement party, Deputy Chief Henry Simon talked about Conover’s habit of juggling the hockey pucks the deputy chief keeps in his office.
“He’s so low key and he’s mentored me greatly because I’m not low key,” Simon had said earlier.
After being handed a couple of plaques, a souvenir weapon and some artwork from various well-wishers, Conover said he felt a bit like Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“Not that I want to go jump off a bridge or anything,” he added.
Conover said that like any police officer who’s been on the job for any length of time, he has plenty of stories he could tell. He said his favorite, though, involved a dance where his mother, Margie Conover, who was in the audience, first met his late father, Dexter Conover. The latter was playing piano at the event, which was held at what is now best known as the Anderson Building on Bothell Way Northeast. The two began dating two years later while both worked in Washington, D.C. and married two years after that.
In terms of police work, Conover said when he first started, Bothell was a very quiet place. The traffic on Bothell Way was light enough officers could take 15-minute naps in their cars while parked along the street.
“Not that we ever did that or anything,” Conover quickly added.
Conover went through a couple of memorable incidents from his long career. One highlight: He and a partner were parked on Bothell Way near a traffic island about 3 a.m. when they heard what Conover called the unmistakable whine coming from the motor of a speeding car as it approached. The two watched not only as the car reached their position but struck the traffic island, went airborne and ended up in the Sammamish River. Conover said he and his partner looked at each other, briefly questioning if they had just seen what they thought they had seen.
Conover went on to say the driver of the car emerged from the water without a scratch. Reportedly drunk, he came up the hill toward the two officers with his hands extended and together, ready to be cuffed and arrested.
Another longer story involved a loose horse and Conover’s attempts to corral it with the only tool that presented itself: a dog collar.
Conover’s replacement, Carol Cummings, will be sworn into the job Feb. 1. Cummings’ previous position was special operations chief for the King County Sheriff’s Office, where she spent 27 years. The immediate past chair of the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, Dale Amundsen said he considers himself friends with both Conover and Cummings. He and the new chief worked together when Amundsen was a chaplain for the sheriff’s office.
“She’s completely level-headed,” Amundsen said. “She has a genuine compassion for people and for her officers.”
The community is invited to join the city of Bothell from 5-6 p.m. Feb. 1 for a swearing-in ceremony for Cummings at the Municipal Court (10116 N.E. 183rd St., Bothell).
Cummings started her new job Jan. 24.
