King County is celebrating National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, which started on Sunday and runs through May 11.

King County’s corrections officers and juvenile detention officers perform a critical role in managing people during the most turbulent and vulnerable times of their lives—when they are accused of compromising the safety and wellbeing of the community, resulting in their incarceration.

The professionalism and persistence of these employees should make us all proud. They show courage, sacrifice, and resolve that demonstrates commitment and dedication to public safety, while also ensuring that people in custody are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed this week as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.

“Our correctional officer are well-trained professionals who regularly face challenging situations, but remain dedicated to providing safe, humane, and equitable care to all residents,” he said in the Proclamation. “The sacrifices of correctional officers and their families often go unnoticed, yet their contributions to the community are invaluable.”

National Correctional Officers Week started in 1984. In 1996, Congress officially modified it to “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.”

Please take a moment to show your appreciation for employees from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention and the difficult work that they perform 24/7 every day of the year.

You can read the full proclamation from King County Executive Dow Constantine below.