Chief Beason says farewell to Shelton

Set to retire in five days, Carole Beason calls her three years as Shelton's police chief "the highlight of my law enforcement career."

Beason became Shelton's first female police chief when she replaced the retiring Darrin Moody. On Nov. 1, she'll be replaced by Chris Kostad, who has worked for the department for 21 years.

Beason said she'll miss the people of Shelton and attending local events. "This is such a great community," she said.

"Chief Beason is the consummate professional," City Manager Mark Ziegler wrote to the Journal. "She has navigated the department through times that our community has never experienced. During the pandemic, laws that are changing the way policing is delivered, and officer recruitment becoming more difficult, our police department is stable and delivering quality service to Shelton. I believe her greatest accomplishment while at the city is the deliberate succession planning in the department for growth of individuals to take on leadership roles and long-term stability. The strategic planning has developed a command staff that has many years of experience to serve our community."

Before she came to Shelton, Beason worked for the San Diego Police Department for 25 years, culminating as a lieutenant leading the sex crimes unit, child abuse unit, internet crimes against children task force and the sex registrant unit.

The phrase "Home of the Evergreen Forest" in the Shelton job description attracted Beason and her husband, Michael, who enjoys camping, she said. Beason assumed the post in January 2021.

Beason went from a police force of 2,000 officers in San Diego to a total staff of about 20 in Shelton. Nevertheless, the Shelton Police Department has "the same professional and ethical standards that the San Diego Police Department has," Beason said. She added, "That's not always the case."

Like many law enforcement agencies, staffing has been one of the biggest challenges, Beason said. Maybe some people don't think the reward is worth the cost of the job, she said.

"I think the world is a much more violent place than it used to be," she said.

Some residents have stepped up to the microphone at Shelton City Council meetings and asked Beason to resign for not evicting homeless people camping in the downtown Brewer Park, next to the Community Lifeline shelter. Beason said it was "heartbreaking" to hear those demands but said some people "oversimplify" the problem and the solutions and don't see the larger picture.

"A lot of people think we should arrest our way out of these situations, and that's not the case," she said. Her department did clear out the park, and point the campers toward services available to them, she said.

The highlights have been meeting people and attending local events, Beason said. As for her replacement, "Chris will not just be the new chief, but he'll hit the ground running ... Chris has such a good head on his shoulders."

Beason said she and her husband, who is retired from the San Diego Police Department, plan to "do the snowbird thing." They will keep their home in Olympia and stay there during the summers and travel the country in their recreational vehicle during the other seasons for the next few years, she said.