Newly promoted Major Greg Thomas has been selected to lead the King County Sheriff’s Office Southeast Precinct in Maple Valley, the county’s Office of Communications announced Friday.

Thomas’s career in the Sheriff’s Office spans more than three decades. The Southeast Precinct, also known as the Hicks Raburn Precinct, serves as the command center hub for unincorporated policing, along with police officers serving Newcastle, Maple Valley and Covington.

“Major Thomas has proven to be both highly skilled and dedicated his duties, and the history of the Sheriff’s Office. I’ve had the chance to see his work in action while working closely to plan for the King County Sheriff’s Officer Memorial last year,” said King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who represents Precinct 3. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know Major Thomas and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”

“The residents of SE King County can sleep soundly knowing a man like Greg is leading their deputies,” said Sheriff John Urquhart. “Major Thomas is a capable commander who is adept at community outreach.”

Thomas has served in the Sheriff’s Office for 35 years in a number of capacities, ranging from working as a Sheriff’s deputy in Federal Way as the city made the transition to its own police force, to serving in the city of Burien and in the Sheriff Office’s Property Management Unit. He was previously a master police officer (training officer) and has served as the administrative zone commander for several Sheriff precincts.

He had a large hand in the reopening of the Hicks Raburn Precinct building in Maple Valley after Urquhart’s election, and he was lauded for his work in the design and implementation of the new memorial to fallen deputies located in the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle.

“Being a commander of Precinct 3 feels like coming home,” Thomas said. “I’m very lucky to be working with the folks at Precinct 3 and my officers, and look forward to starting this new role.”

Thomas will step in for the retiring Major Ron Griffin, who is leaving the Sheriff’s Office after over three decades of service. Griffin served as chief of police for Sound Transit and has commanded the Hicks Raburn Precinct in Maple Valley for the last two years. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Griffin has also been the commander at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.

Precinct 3 covers a geographical area of approximately 700 square miles in Southeast King County and offers a number of services to unincorporated residents including: concealed pistol license renewals and fingerprinting; filing accident reports; obtaining records and reports; and drug box dropoff info. Precinct 3 also provides school resource officers to the Auburn, Issaquah, Renton, and Tahoma school districts and the Muckleshoot Tribal School.

Precinct 3 facilities are in the city of Maple Valley.