An Oak Harbor High School graduate who’s been to the Arctic Circle, graduated from the FBI National Academy and is adept at riding motorcycles and solving crime is the new permanent leader of the city’s police department.

Oak Harbor Mayor Bob Severns and Mayor-elect Ronnie Wright agreed that Tony Slowik, a 20-year veteran of the department, should be named as the new chief. Slowik, previously a captain in the department, was named as interim chief last month after Chief Kevin Dresker retired.

Tuesday, the Oak Harbor City Council made his new status official by unanimously approving the contract. As chief, Slowik will earn $162,000 a year.

Wright spoke at the meeting, saying he has “100% confidence” in Slowik. Councilmember Shane Hoffmire said he was very pleased with the selection, adding that one of the hardest things about losing the recent mayoral election was not being able to name Slowik to the position. Fire Chief Ray Merrill urged the council to approve the contract, saying that it’s “a pleasure to work side by side with Mr. Slowik.”

John Dyer, a former lieutenant in the department, even submitted lengthy comments in support of Slowik.

“With his education, training, experience and positive character, there is no doubt that Tony will lead the department with distinction and be a positive member of the city team,” Dyer wrote.

Yet the process wasn’t without controversy. At the meeting, local resident Sandi Peterson asked the council not to approve the contract. She pointed out that the city didn’t follow the previous process of advertising the job and holding an interview panel. She also said Slowik has “a loose association with policies and procedures,” referring to an incident that occurred 11 years ago that led to him being disciplined and being placed on a Potential Impeachment Disclosure list, also known as being a Brady officer.

Slowik has long been up front about the mistakes he made during the unusual period in city history. Back then, there was in-fighting and division in the police department. A number of leaders had been involved in Scott Dudley’s mayoral campaign; Dudley was running against Slowik’s father, Jim Slowik. Detective Slowik and several officers received an email from a Tacoma police officer who was inquiring about “Scott Dudley.”

Slowik explained that a supervisor, who was publicly supporting Dudley, told detectives not to do anything about the request and that the chief was going to handle it. Slowik checked with the chief, however, who said he gave no such order. As a result, Slowik accessed a database using another officer’s ID and password to look into the matter. It turned out that the Tacoma police suspect was a different person.

Slowik said he admitted wrongdoing and was disciplined. Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks said he was obliged to place Slowik on the Potential Impeachment Disclosure list, which is provided to the defense if an officer has to testify. This week, Banks said he has no qualms about Slowik being named as chief and has worked closely with him over the years on important cases and significant policy issues.

“Tony’s response to being put on the list was consistent with his response to committing the misconduct in the first place,” Banks said. “He owned his mistake, and then set out to prove by his actions that he could fulfill his duties with competence and integrity. I think he’s a great choice to lead the department.”

Slowik said he hopes to use the experience to talk to young officers about the importance of owning and learning from mistakes and being honest.

Slowik has been with the Oak Harbor Police since 2003. He and his wife, Gina, raised two daughters, Trinity and Marina, in the community.

After graduating from Oak Harbor High School in 1994, Slowik went to college for a year before joining the Coast Guard. He was on active duty for six years and remains in the Coast Guard Reserves. In 2015, he was presented with the Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel Award, which is a national honor.

Slowik said he had an eventful, albeit chilly, time in the Coast Guard. He was first on the Storis, an ice breaker and cutter out of Kodiak Alaska; the vessel was the oldest boat in commission in the Coast Guard. He then transferred aboard the Healy out of Seattle; the vessel was the newest and most advanced ice breaker in the Coast Guard.

Slowik, who admits to some sea sickness, said he traveled above the Arctic Circle and throughout the Aleutian Islands for fisheries enforcement.

Slowik left active duty in 2002 and went to work the Nichol Bros. Boat Builders in Freeland before taking a job at the Oak Harbor Police Department. Slowik said he decided to put on a badge because he missed the camaraderie of the Coast Guard and wanted to continue serving his community.

Slowik filled a wide range of roles as he moved up the ranks in the department. He was a patrol officer, a field training officer, a motorcycle officer, a detective, a SWAT member, a sergeant in the patrol and detectives divisions, a training coordinator and a captain. He was accepted to and graduated from the FBI National Academy, which is a program for U.S. and international law enforcement personnel who seek to enhance their credentials in their field and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge and cooperation.

As chief, Slowik said he will continue down the path that Dresker set for the department. He hopes to fill some of the specialty positions in the department and stress the fundamentals of training and policing. He said he will focus on filling empty positions, including the two empty captain spots, in the near future.

“We are finding some really good quality people,” he said. “I’m not afraid to hire younger people if they have good character and can show good judgment.”