A Message From the Sheriff

I am pleased to announce that the King County Council adopted their 2009 proposed budget, restoring over $2.5 million in funding to the Sheriff’s Office. I want to thank the hundreds of citizens that came to our community meetings and to those who called, wrote, and e-mailed the Executive and the County Council. Budget Chair Larry Phillips said the letters they received were a “major factor in helping the Council establish priorities”. I applaud the Council and am deeply grateful that they made public safety, health, and the quality of life their top priorities for 2009. By restoring some of the cuts proposed by Executive Sims, those priorities were at least partially realized.

• The monies restored to the Sheriff's Office budget now mean our major accident investigation unit will have enough detectives to thoroughly investigate all fatality and severe injury traffic accidents. This means drunk drivers that wreak havoc on families will face a more certain consequences based on a thorough and scientifically sound investigation.

• The Council’s 2009 budget partially restores our Child Find unit. This unit specializes in tracking children that are abducted and taken out of Washington or brought into our state despite court orders to the contrary.

• The Council’s 2009 budget restores our Storefront deputies. These deputies are on the front-lines in our neighborhoods and give citizens a name, a face, and a place to go when they need the assistance of the Sheriff's Office. As our resources diminish, it’s critical to have these deputies who focus on getting the community involved in looking out for their neighbors and better protecting themselves.

• The Council’s 2009 budget restores two King County Courthouse Marshals and six Courthouse deputies in our district courts. This means citizens of King County can go to court whether as a victim, witness, juror or to conduct other county business and know that King County is providing them a safe environment to do so.

In total, approximately 19 Sheriff’s Office positions will be saved. We could not have done this without your support. This was participatory democracy at its best.

During the next few months I will be making some tough decisions. Unfortunately, we still are left with a multi-million dollar budget cut for 2009. Residents of unincorporated King County will face unprecedented reductions in service and a significant number of deputies, detectives, and civilians will either be re-assigned or laid off. It is absolutely critical that we maintain our ability to respond to 911 calls and keep patrol officers on the streets. Your safety is my highest priority.

I welcome your feedback and suggestions to help determine how we can improve our services in light of the upcoming budget cuts. Please feel free to send me an e-mail at Sheriff@kingcounty.gov. I’m always interested in knowing what you think.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

  Sheriff Sue Rahr