Loss of Edmonds police chief a blow

The sudden death of David Stern stunned not just the Edmonds community, where he served as police chief the past six years. Law-enforcement leaders throughout the state are reeling, too.

"Nobody that I know can get their heads around this yet, the fact that Dave is gone," said Scott Smith, police chief of nearby Mountlake Terrace.

The trim and seemingly-fit chief — an avid golfer who also jogged and skied — suffered a massive brain aneurysm Tuesday afternoon while driving through an Edmonds neighborhood. He had just celebrated his 61st birthday, taking a weekend trip with his wife to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Mr. Stern had stopped his unmarked police SUV on the edge of Talbot Drive, where a resident spotted him slumped inside the vehicle, said Sgt. Don Anderson. Medics and officers found him at 1:50 p.m. and took him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died shortly after midnight.

Police from throughout the region showed up at the hospital during Mr. Stern's final hours, a harbinger of the professional tribute expected at a memorial service planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Westgate Chapel, 22901 Edmonds Way in Edmonds.

A motorcade of officers who accompanied Mr. Stern's body Wednesday from Harborview to Edmonds snarled Interstate 5 traffic for hours during the evening commute.

Mr. Stern was an ethical and conscientious man, with a straight-shooting, no-nonsense leadership style, his peers recalled. And he loved classical music, playing CDs all day on his office stereo system.

At the time of his death, he was treasurer of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and president of the Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, among many other leadership roles he served with community and professional organizations.

Mr. Stern graduated from Western State University in Southern California in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in law. He earned a master's degree in public administration in 1987 from Golden Gate University.

He came to Edmonds from Santa Maria, Calif., where he joined the police department in the early 1980s and worked his way up to commander. He previously had worked for Contra Mesa Police and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's office.

He honed his leadership style during those years.

"Dave was by-the-book. There was no deviation from that line, and you didn't step off of it," said Santa Maria Police Chief Danny Macagni. "And if you did, he held you accountable."

Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart said Mr. Stern's broad professional experience made him an invaluable member of many regional committees dealing with law-enforcement issues.

"It's going to take us a lot of time to recover from that," Bart said. "He was a great man — honest, great sense of humor. And he was really, really loyal to the city of Edmonds and the citizens there."

Mr. Stern devoted himself to his community, agreed Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson. "He didn't just work here and go home at night. He got involved; he loved it here. Edmonds was his home."

Edmonds City Councilwoman Deanna Dawson recalled joking with Mr. Stern about which of them had more board and panel meetings to attend.

"He was a real 'get-'er-done' kind of guy. It's inconceivable to think how we're going to fill all the things he did," she said. "He was just a helluva guy, and I'm going to miss him."

Mr. Stern is survived by his wife, Darlene Stern; son Darrin Stern, of Lynnwood; daughter Dawn Eldridge, of central California; grandchildren; and one brother.

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com