It’s official; Grover Beach has a new police chief. John Peters took over the department on June 1 and was sworn in later that night in front of the city council.
Peters has 21 years of experience in law enforcement, the last 10 of which have been with the Grover Beach Police Department for the last 10 years, having served initially as a sergeant and later as a commander.
His starting base salary as chief is $124,800 a year, plus benefits.
Outgoing Chief Jim Copsey, who served dual roles as the police chief and was appointed the city’s first assistant city manager in 2013 before retiring in December, had agreed to stay on the job as interim chief until a replacement was brought on board. He was presented with a proclamation of appreciation as well as certificates of recognition from the County Board of Supervisors and State Assemblymen Katcho Achadjian’s office.  Copsey was also presented with a framed case containing the badges he wore throughout his career.
“This is definitely a challenging time for me to leave the city, it has been a part of my life for 10 and a half years, to leave the community, I love this community dearly and it has definitely been a passion of mine, and a joy of mine to work with the community and the people that we have,” Copsey said. “It is a team effort. It has to be a team effort.”
The proclamation read in part, “under his leadership, the Grover Beach Police Department increased efficiency and improved public safety services, including successful implementation of regionalized fire dispatch services for all response areas served by the Five Cities Fire Authority, fully integrated the police dispatch system with mobile computers for Fire Authority apparatus, and he was instrumental in improving the technology used within the police department, including mobile computers and body worn cameras.”
Copsey has 27 years in law enforcement, the last 10 of which were as Grover’s chief. Mayor John Shoals was on the council when Copsey was hired by the city in the city 2005.
“I can say that, without a doubt, prior to the chief arriving, there were folks within the county, if not the region, who didn’t have as much respect for the Grover Beach Police Department as we would have liked to have had,” said Shoals. “Jim, when you came in, you helped turn around the image, the results speak for themselves and we are second to none when it comes to law enforcement and community police. You really have served this community well.”
Copsey thanked his fellow officers, city manager Bob Perrault, as well as past and present members of the council.
“They have just been phenomenal in their support of the police department, for what we do and are trying to accomplish within the community,” said Copsey.
In a previous interview, Copsey said that he and his wife of 34 years, Eileen, plan to travel during their free time. Copsey is an avid cyclist and plans to continue two-wheeling activities.