The Tacoma Police Department said goodbye today to one of its longest-serving detectives.
Wulf Werner retired after 38 years of service – spending all but six of those years as a homicide detective.
He is a well respected investigator and has earned several commendations over the years.
The News Tribune has profiled Wulf a couple of times over the years. Here are those stories.
IN MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH, THESE MEN MATTER / INTENSE, TENACIOUS TACOMA DETECTIVE IS OFFICER OF YEAR
By Doreen Marchionni/the News Tribune
Wednesday,January 11, 1995
Night’s fallen. Two hours have passed since the shooting, and police still can’t find the spent bullet.
Tacoma police detective Wulf Hans Otto “W.H.O.” Werner Sr. rolls up to the homicide. His eyes lock on a chip in a wooden post on the porch, where the victim died. He spots another chip in a brick building next door where the bullet passed and steps into the grassy yard.
“He turns around, walks up in the middle (of the yard) in the dark, picks up the round and says: ‘Here it is,’” recalled police Sgt. Mark Mann in mock German accent. “I couldn’t believe it. He comes up with things.”
This is vintage “Vulf,” a native of Germany who somehow retained his accent though he’s lived in this country since 1951. He’s fast. Focused. Eerily perceptive.
Tuesday, the community honored the barrel-chested sleuth with one of its most treasured nods: Officer of the Year.
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