Lake City High School Celebrates Officer Nathan Petersen
Coeur d'Alene Police Officer Nathan Petersen has Timberwolf in his DNA.
The Lake City High School graduate was recently honored in a packed gym of students, staff and fellow police officers, for 11 years of service to the high school.
“I loved working here,” said Petersen. “It was more than just a job. It was family.”
Petersen was Lake City’s longtime School Resource Officer (SRO) who has now rotated out of the position and returned to patrol duties. Coeur d’Alene Police Department policy requires officers to rotate assignments every 10 years. Petersen was granted a one-year extension last year which allowed him to finish his service as an SRO at Lake City during his eldest son's senior year there.
“Every day was an opportunity to reach out and touch the lives of somebody,” said Petersen. “I loved working in the school. If it were up to me, I would have retired here, but it was time to do something new. I thoroughly enjoy working patrol as well.”
Coeur d’Alene Public Schools’ safety and security staff and programs - including our SROs - are funded with community-supported levy dollars. Because of taxpayers, Peterson and other officers are able to protect students, staff and schools every day.
For Petersen, working with students every day motivated him to make a difference with kindness and understanding.
“I would tell students all the time that I am not here to get you in trouble, but rather I am here to get you out of trouble,” said Petersen, who also has helped coach the football team in the past. “I understand that kids make mistakes. I want to help kids.”
Petersen’s Lake City roots run deep. He graduated from LCHS in 2001 and was one of the original “Den Men,” a group of boisterous students who travelled throughout the region to support the Timberwolves in athletic competitions.
“There were 10 guys who wanted to make sure we went to every game,” said Petersen, who started with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department in 2004. “We would travel all over the place to support the Timberwolves. It was a lot of fun.”
His wife, Rachael, is Lake City’s registrar. His son Conner graduated from LCHS last year and his daughter Tessa, a junior, is the student body president this year.
“Craig Wade is serving as Lake City’s new SRO, but Petersen’s legacy will endure for years to come,”said Thomas Gandy, the Coeur d’Alene Public Schools Director of Safety and Security.
“Nate Peterson has served Lake City in one way or another most of his life,” said Gandy. “Whether it was his time as a student athlete and founding member of the 'Den Men' or when he returned years later as their SRO, Nate has made the students and staff at LCHS a priority in his life and gone the extra mile for them at every turn. We will miss him being part of our team every day but we are grateful he will continue to be part of the Lake City family and look forward to seeing him around town keeping our schools and community safe.”