By Christina Lorella Kuzu, Communications Specialist with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention

You can find Ting Chou at the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) every Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, making sure officers and residents get what they need. From stocking supplies to fulfilling resident kites (a written request from a person in custody), his role as a records unit support clerk is important to jail operations.

Ting also makes it his unofficial duty to guarantee that coworkers don’t take themselves too seriously.                      

“We know when he’s NOT here,” Sergeant Todd Wheeler shared when describing Ting’s contagious personality and freewheeling sense of humor.

That’s because Ting’s visits come with a whole lot of laughter, “hey buddies,” and fun-spirited conversation. And if you’re lucky, a nickname. That’s just who Ting is.

Ting referred to Sgt. Wheeler as his “Big Dog” noting that they “go way back.”During a recent interaction, the two bantered, sharing jokes and laughs, before getting back to work; a typical interaction between Ting and his peers. At the start of his shift, Ting heads up to the fifth floor, where he stocks essential items Commanding Officers will need before they hit the floor.  

He then focuses his attention on what, to the untrained eye, may look like an overwhelming number of documents. For Ting and his impeccable memory and attention to detail, the forms have become second nature.

Each day, Ting confirms that there are enough kites, forms and supplies available for the day and keeps everything organized and tidy so that officers can quickly find what they need. 

On Thursdays, he checks inventory.  “I make sure forms are stocked to make sure we have enough and don’t run out for the next shift,” Ting said.

When finished, Ting returns to his “office” in the mailroom, his home away from home.

It’s there where he helps with resident mail, filing records, and, a new task, sorting kites. 

He reviews each kite submitted by residents, categorizing each of the documents according to need. For example, when a resident asks for reading glasses, Ting looks at the resident’s submission and provides them with glasses according to requested strength.

Ting then brings the completed kites back to the fifth floor, where he either distributes them directly to the appropriate supervising staff member or places the documents in their mailbox so that the process can be finalized.

These jobs, from start to finish, are essential to jail operations. 

Perhaps even more important is what Ting does for facility morale.

All those trips back and forth between the floors are not just helping KCCF run efficiently. Ting brings a sense of positivity and lightheartedness to KCCF that staff not only appreciate but look forward to.

“Bacon Popcorn,” known to most as Commander Bacon, got his nickname after bringing Ting some bacon-flavored popcorn. Like Sgt. Wheeler, Cmdr. Bacon considers Ting both a member of his staff and a friend.

When asked his favorite part of the job, Ting answered without hesitation: the people.

He clearly has a strong attachment to his peers, and is especially grateful for his long-time supervisor, Andrea Williams, with whom he shares a love of drawing and painting. He had nothing but wonderful things to say about Andrea and mentioned that coming in to chat with her was one of the things he enjoys most about his role. His nickname for her, not surprisingly, is “Angel.”

For the holidays and on special occasions, he often surprises Andrea and other friends and family with artwork that he has created, and his creativity is plentiful. Ting, who is also fluent in Mandarin, is clearly a man of many talents.

Another peer Ting shares a close bond with is Officer Nathan Kile, whom he affectionally calls “Bowling Ball” because of his bald head. Officer Kile, who works Court Detail, jokes that if he is “Bowling Ball,” Ting must be “Soccer Ball” because the two share the same shiny quality.

Whenever Ting sees Officer Kile in the hallways of KCCF, he is not shy to yell out, “Sttttttrrrrrrrrike!”

The two have become so close that Kile introduced Ting to his wife, who have similar birthdays. Each year, the couple picks Ting up from his home and takes him out to a celebratory dinner.

Despite his incredible eye for detail and ability to keep things in order, Ting critiqued one organizational system at the jail that he wasn’t particularly fond of—the numbering system for filing booking packets. If he could choose one thing about his job that he could change or eliminate, his answer was quite clear—”those @$#!%@ booking packets.”

If given the opportunity to be boss for the day, Ting knew exactly what he would do. He would give everyone a “big paycheck and he would bring in some good food.” There was no question about it. It’s no wonder Ting has so many friends; he is always thinking of how he can help others and make their lives better.

Prior to his eight years at KCCF, Ting spent 17 years at the Juvenile Division, where he worked in the kitchen. While he said he missed the people, he “did not miss washing the dishes.” Fair enough, Ting, fair enough. He much preferred his office tasks and the ability to make a significant difference by supporting officers, making life a little easier for jail residents, and giving back to his community as a public servant.

Just last month, Ting was honored by Executive Dow Constantine at an award ceremony for his 25 years of service and for his exceptional contributions both to the department and to King County.

The next time you see Ting around KCCF, be sure to congratulate him on an outstanding quarter century of service for DAJD and maybe even sprinkle in some birthday wishes for a happy 45^th birthday on June 18!

As so many of his peers have echoed, KCCF would not be the same without Ting and all that he does for both operations and morale. We could not feel more grateful to have him on our team!