The Town of Warsaw is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sean L. Peterson as Chief of Police. Chief Peterson is a seasoned law enforcement professional with 28 years of corporate, law enforcement, and military leadership. Chief Peterson most recently served as the Chief of Field Operations (Captain) for the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office, proudly serving the County for nearly 12 years.
Mr. Peterson believes in a strong community partnership that is exemplified through transparency in law enforcement, strong community engagement, best in class law enforcement services, and a true “protect and serve” mission statement based on core values of honor, commitment, integrity, selfless service, and professionalism.
Mr. Peterson has served progress law enforcement roles as a Police Office and Sheriff’s Deputy with agencies ranging in size from 600 sworn officers to 44 deputies. He prides himself on being an adaptive leader who strives to teach, coach, train, and mentor all in his charge daily encouraging law enforcement officers to be better versions of themselves every day.
Mr. Peterson has been honorably serving in the United States Army since 1992. He currently holds the rank of First Sergeant (E8) and is charged with leadership, development, training, and accountability of 200 soldiers for a two-star reserve training command. Mr. Peterson is a decorated combat veteran having served in Central America, Horn of Africa, Somalia, and Afghanistan. He was awarded the Bronze Star in 2017 while serving in Afghanistan.
When not serving our great Town with pride and professionalism, Mr. Peterson enjoys all things fitness, quality at home family time and the great outdoors (don’t be surprised if you see him running around town on warm days). He is married to his beautiful wife Dana, and has a daughter (Ashley), son (Toby), stepson (Carlos) and stepdaughter (Melia). Let us not forget two wonderful labs include bear (black) and coco (chocolate).
Mr. Peterson is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (281), the FBI LEEDA Trilogy leadership course, earned a BA in Criminal Justice, currently working on his master’s in organizational leadership, and holds many DCJS certifications.
Town Manager, Joseph Quesenberry, stated that Mr. Peterson was chosen from a candidate pool of nearly forty (40) highly qualified applicants. “Mr. Peterson has the credentials and know-how to put the Warsaw Police Department on track for success. With his military and law enforcement background, and his welcoming and calm demeanor, I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes for our beautiful and growing Town,” he said.
Mayor Randall L. Phelps stated that he’s looking forward to Chief Peterson’s tenure. “I’m very pleased that the Town Council chose Mr. Peterson as our next Chief. Under his leadership, the Warsaw Police Department is poised to become a model force for other small-town agencies, with a focus on community policing and ensuring our citizens, schools, and businesses are safe. We welcome Chief Peterson to our organization and wish him all the best,” he said.
For more information, please contact Joseph Quesenberry, Town Manager, at (804) 333-3737, or by email at jquesenberry@town.warsaw.va.us.
