Chief Rafael Padilla                                                                                                          

Chief Rafael “Raf” Padilla has served with the Kent Police Department since 1997. He began his law enforcement career as a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department  in 1992. He subscribes to the servant leader philosophy and considers it his duty and honor to serve and protect the people of Kent.                                

 Prior to being appointed to Chief on May 8th, 2018, Rafael has served as an Assistant Chief of Police for the previous five years.  During that time, he has held command of all three divisions of the department, spending significant time overseeing the operations of the Support Services Division, Investigations Division and Patrol Division. 

Chief Padilla’s previous assignments have included Patrol Officer, Narcotics Detective, Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor, Patrol Tactics Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Traffic Motorcycle Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, Civil Disturbance Team Leader, SWAT, Honor Guard, Special Investigations Commander, Valley Gang Unit (VGU) Commander, SWAT Commander and Patrol Commander.

Chief Padilla was also temporarily assigned to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (police academy) where he served as an academy instructor for five years. During this time, he was recognized as an expert in patrol operations and use of force, before being appointed as the director of the Washington Police Corps Academy. 

Throughout his career, Rafael has dutifully invested his personal time to improve the quality of life for the Kent community. He volunteers his personal time to complete community service projects, such as park beautification projects, graffiti cleanups and neighborhood clean-up projects in Kent. He oversees fundraising efforts for several initiatives focused on improving the lives of Kent youth and sits on a handful of regional and local law enforcement and community service group boards, including Kent Youth and Family Services.

Rafael is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Northwest Law Enforcement Command College, the International Association of Chiefs of Police - Leadership in Police Organization and holds an Executive Level Career Level certification through the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.

Rafael is engaged on both state and national levels, holding several professional affiliations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Federal FBI National Academy Associates, Inc. (FBINAA) – former Executive Board Member, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) – current Executive Board Member, and the King County Police Chiefs Association.

Away from work, Chief Padilla enjoys spending time with his family.  He also enjoys camping, boating, taking in an occasional music concert, traveling, and he is a huge college and professional football fan.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the outstanding women and men of the Kent Police Department. They work hard every day to deliver the highest quality law enforcement service, and I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to lead them.” 

Chief Padilla can be contacted at PoliceChief@Kentwa.gov

Deputy Chief Matt Stansfield  

Deputy Chief Matt Stansfield has been with the Kent police department since 2008. Starting out in the patrol division Matt worked as a patrol officer and Field Training Officer (FTO) until 2016 when he was promoted to Patrol Sergeant. Some of Matt’s other assignments include management of the FTO program, supervision of the hiring and recruiting unit and the police vehicle fleet while assigned as the administrative sergeant. Additionally, Matt is a tenured instructor in emergency vehicle operations (EVOC) as well as an instructor for the Washington CJTC FTO Academy. Matt was recently assigned as an Assistant Chief in the Support Services Division where he oversaw the Kent City Jail, Police Department Records Unit, Evidence Unit, and other administrative support staff, in addition to Department training, recruitment, hiring, accreditation, budget and special projects. 

Matt was promoted to Deputy Chief in July 2023 and will be overseeing numerous department programs, operations and personnel. 

Matt’s awards while working for Kent PD include two Lifesaving Awards, two Chief’s Awards for Professional Excellence, as well as being named Officer of the Year in 2018 by the Kent Police Officer’s Association. Matt has also served on the executive board of the Kent Police Officer’s Association as the vice president and president. He has attended various military leadership courses as well as Leadership in Police Organizations, Force Science certification and Force Science de-escalation courses.

Matt also served in the Washington Army National Guard where he retired as First Sergeant in 2015. Matt recently earned his undergraduate degree in the Business Administration Program with American Military University. 

Matt enjoys spending time the outdoors hunting and fishing with his family and friends outside of work.

Deputy Chief Stansfield can be reached at 253-856-5809. 

Assistant Chief Eric Hemmen                                                                 

Assistant Chief Eric Hemmen began his law enforcement career in 1994 at the Kent Police Department.  He spent his first six years as an officer in the Patrol Division, the last three of which he was a Field Training Officer (FTO). Eric spent the next two years  as a detective working plain clothes/undercover street crimes and vice with the Pro-Act Unit.  Eric also spent four years as a SWAT operator and sniper on the KPD Emergency Response Team (ERT).  Eric was promoted to sergeant in July of 2002.  During his time as Sergeant, he served as a Patrol Sergeant, Administrative Sergeant, Field Training Sergeant, and Special Investigations Unit  Sergeant. During his time as a Commander, he served as a Patrol Commander and Special Investigations Commander. He was promoted in April of 2016 to Assistant Chief.  During Eric’s time as an Assistant Chief, he has served as the Assistant Chief of the Support Services, the Patrol Division, and the Investigations Division of the Kent Police Department. 

Eric is currently the Assistant Chief of the Support Services Division.  He oversees the Kent Correctional Facility, recruiting, training, the Community Services Unit, evidence, records, finance, and accreditation.  

Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Policing, the Pacific Institute, the Leadership Institute of South Puget Sound, and Leadership in Police Organizations.

Away from work, Eric enjoys spending time with his family.  He is an avid camper and loves to enjoy the outdoors. 

Assistant Chief Hemmen can be contacted at 253-856-5837. 

Assistant Chief Jarod Kasner                                                                     

Assistant Chief Jarod Kasner began his law enforcement career in 1998 at the Kent Police Department.  He spent the majority of his 15 years as an officer in the Patrol Division.  During that time, he also spent two years working as a plain clothes/undercover street crimes and vice Detective with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), five years as an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) instructor and as a Field Training Officer (FTO). Jarod is one of the Public Information Officers (PIO) for the Department and was promoted to sergeant in 2011.  During that time, he served as a Patrol Sergeant for the grave yard crew.

In February of 2014, Jarod was promoted to Commander where he served in the Patrol Division. Shortly after, he began supervising the Investigations Unit, which includes Persons and Property Detectives.  Jarod was also responsible for the Field Training Officer program, Explorers, and the Mentoring program. In August 2018, Jarod was promoted to Assistant Chief over the Support Services Division which includes the Kent City Jail, police department Records Unit, Evidence Unit, and other administrative support staff. 

In 2022 Jarod became the Assistant Chief of the Patrol Division. Jarod is currently the Assistant Chief of the Investigations Division where he will oversee all major investigations in our city. 

Jarod is a graduate of Green River Community College and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Central Washington University. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police and Leadership in Police Organizations.

Away from work, Jarod enjoys boating, running, soccer, and spending time with his family.

Assistant Chief Kasner can be reached at 253-856-5821.

Assistant Chief Andy Grove

Assistant Chief Andy Grove has served with the Kent Police Department since 2002 and has held assignments in Patrol, Street Crimes, Narcotics, Special Investigations, Major Crimes, and as a Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Professional Standards Commander and partner of the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force.

Andy also spent three years as the Director of Investigations and Law Enforcement Development for the International Justice Mission (IJM) in the Philippines where he led an Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force for the Philippine National Police (PNP).

As the Professional Standards Commander, Andy led a robust and innovative recruiting and hiring campaign which resulted in a fully staffed police department. He also helped design and implement the nation’s first Community Immersion Law Enforcement Project (CILEP), which deploys police recruits into community based organizations to do service work for 8 weeks prior to the academy. The University of Washington conducted a formal study of the program which yielded promising results.

Andy is currently assigned as the Assistant Chief in charge of Patrol. His prior assignment was as the  Assistant Chief in the Support Services Division where he oversaw department Training, Recruiting and Hiring, Accreditation and the Kent City Jail, Records Unit, Evidence Unit, and other support staff and special projects.

Andy remains an active leader in our region’s anti-human trafficking efforts. He has also led operations in SE Asia and West Africa, and has trained and collaborated with law enforcers all over the Philippines and the Pacific Region in Thailand, Fiji, and Cambodia.

Andy is a graduate of the Washington Police Corps Academy and has a BA in Social Sciences and an MA in Transformational Leadership from Seattle University. Away from work, Andy enjoys surfing, music, fitness, and adventures with his family.

Assistant Chief Grove can be reached at 253-856-5828.

Commander Mike O'Reilly                                                    

Commander Mike O'Reilly began his law enforcement career in 1995 at the Kent Police Department.  He spent the first three years in the Patrol Division.  Mike spent the next three years as a Detective working plain clothes/undercover street crimes and vice with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).  He returned to the Patrol Division for another three years before he was selected as a Bike/Boat Officer with the Special Operations Unit (SOU).

Mike was promoted to Sergeant in November of 2010.  During that time he served as a Patrol Sergeant, Burglary Task Force Sergeant, and SOU Sergeant.  In January 2011, he was selected as the Sergeant for the Valley Gang Unit, which was a multi-agency task force created to address gang related issues in South King County.  Upon completion of the Gang Unit he supervised the Neighborhood Response Team (NRT), who are responsible for identifying Intelligence Led Policing issues and helping to solve neighborhood crime problems.

In September 2014, he was promoted to Commander where he served in the Patrol Division.  He currently oversees two Patrol Sergeants and crews, command of the Civil Disturbance Unit, Chaplaincy, and Peer Support Program and the department's Social Media Team.  Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.  He served five years active duty in the Navy onboard the USS Juneau (LPD-10) and after 20 years, he retired as a Naval Reserve Chief Petty Officer.

Away from work, Mike enjoys surfing, biking, the Seahawks, and spending time with his family and friends.  Go Hawks!

Commander O'Reilly can be reached at 253-856-5843.

Commander Philip Johnson

Commander Phil Johnson has served with the Kent Police Department since 2000 and has held assignments in Patrol, and as a Detective in ProAct, Narcotics, Special Investigations, and Crimes Against Persons.  During that time he also served as a General Instructor at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission providing instruction to entry and lateral officers regarding search warrants.

As a Sergeant, he held assignments in Patrol and Supervised Detectives in Special Investigations and Crimes Against Persons. Commander Johnson was assigned to the Investigations Division and duties included oversight of the Homicide/Violent Crime and Major Crimes Unit, Internal Affairs investigations, and the Valley Independent Investigations Team. In 2025 Commander Johnson was assigned to the Professional Standards Unit. 

Phil is a graduate of the Washington Police Corps Academy and has a BA in Criminal Justice from Eastern Washington University. 

Commander Johnson can be reached at 253-856-5842.

Commander Chris Mills

Commander Chris Mills has served with the Kent Police Department since 2008. He served in Patrol as a Generalist K9 Handler. Due to the proficiency and success of the team, he and his K9 Partner were cross trained as a Narcotics Detection Team. Commander Mills also served as a Master Defensive Tactics Instructor and a member of the Peer Support Team.

Chris was promoted to Patrol Sergeant, and upon his promotion he was given the extra duties as the K9 Sergeant. Chris has supervised the Special Operations Unit as well as the Civil Disturbance Unit. 

Commander Mills is currently assigned as the Investigations Commander. He is responsible for the Special Investigations Unit, Special Assault Unit, SWAT, K9 Unit, and VNET.

Commander Mills graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is currently working towards a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.

Commander Mills can be contacted at 253-856-5825.

Commander Josh Bava

Commander Joshua Bava has served as a commissioned Police Officer in both Washington and Missouri since 2007. Prior to his promotion to Patrol Commander, he worked as a Patrol Officer, Traffic Officer, Drug Recognition Expert(DRE), Field Training Officer and Patrol Sergeant. 

Commander Bava is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session #292. He received his BA in Law and Justice with a law enforcement specialization from Central Washington University. He has completed the FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Institute and Supervisor Leadership Institute courses as well as the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs’ Credible Leadership Program. He was the City of Kent’s Employee of the Year in 2022. He received the Chief’s Award for Professional Excellence in 2022 and was named Kent’s Employee of the Month in both March 2022 and February 2021.

Commander Bava can be reached at 253-856-5834.

Commander Jason Bishop 

Commander Bishop has been with the Kent police department since 2008. Starting out in the patrol division, Jason served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer (FTO), and Civil Disturbance Team Member. He was promoted in 2016 to the rank of Sergeant and was assigned to Patrol.  Jason later supervised the Traffic Unit, and he was most recently the Sergeant for Kent PD’s Neighborhood Response Team.

Commander Bishop’s awards while working for Kent PD include a Lifesaving Award and a Chief’s Awards for Professional Excellence.  Jason was promoted to Commander is 2022 and is currently assigned to Patrol.

Commander Bishop can be reached at 253.856.5877

Commander Wheeler hired on with the Kent Police Department in 2006.  Matt has served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, and worked for many years in Kent PD’s Special Operations Unit where he conducted bike and marine patrols. Matt received a Life-Saving award in 2017 and has served as a department Firearms Instructor.

Matt was promoted to Patrol Sergeant in 2018 where he supervised several different patrol crews and later was the Department’s Training Sergeant.  He was promoted to Commander in December of 2022 and currently oversees 4 patrol crews and is on the Command staff of Valley SWAT.

Matt has served on the KPOA E-Board as Treasurer and has a BA in Psychology from Western Washington.

Commander Wheeler can be reached at 253-856-5880

Commander Eric Tung

Commander Eric Tung has served with the Kent Police Department since 2007.  Following his graduation from the University of Washington, he sought to begin a career in public service.  As a patrol officer, he joined the department’s Peer Support Team and the Valley Regional Civil Disturbance Unit (VCDU).  He became a Field Training Officer and served as a K-9 generalist handler with his German Shepherd, Kato.  In 2018, he promoted to patrol sergeant. He became a team leader for the VCDU and the peer support coordinator.  As a sergeant, he also held assignments in the Neighborhood Response Team, Recruiting and Hiring, and the Training Unit.  Currently, as a commander, he oversees patrol operations and serves as the department’s wellness coordinator. 

Commander Tung can be reached at 253-856-5831

Corrections Commander Mike Armstrong

Corrections Commander Mike Armstrong  hired on with Kent in July of 1992. He has served as a Corrections Officer, Trustee Coordinator, Programs Sergeant, Police Explorer Advisor, Honor Guard member and Instructor at the CJTC Corrections Officer Academy. Commander Armstrong was also the Administrative Sergeant where he ran both the Jail's Accreditation program and PREA program.  He was promoted to Corrections Commander in July 2023. 

Support Services Manager Christy Roeber (she/her)   

Support Services Manager Christy Roeber has been with the Kent Police Department since 2013.   Christy served as a Records Specialist and Records Supervisor before being promoted into the Support Services Manager position in 2019.  As the Support Services Manager, she leads civilian employees in the Records Unit, as well as the Administrative Assistants and Financial Analysts.   Her responsibilities include records retention, assisting with police-related public records and subpoena requests, and serving and supporting as a primary point of contact for other city departments such as IT and Facilities.

Christy holds a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from Central Washington University, a M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from City University of Seattle, and a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Cultural Anthropology and Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University. 

Away from work, she enjoys reading, trying new foods, traveling, and spending time with her family, and friends.

 Christy Roeber can be reached at 253-856-5810.