KCIT deploying laptops to increase mobility and reduce costs
King County is embracing mobile technology as it strives to help employees be more productive and efficient, regardless of where they are working from.
Nearly 8,000 of King County’s 10,000 PCs will be laptops by the year 2020.
“Laptops use less energy and allow more flexibility,” said KCIT Communications Manager Jamie Holter. “We have a goal of 80% laptop deployment by 2020, up from 27% a year ago.”
Last year, KCIT moved forward to standardize on laptop and mobile devices to reduce annual County expenses by some $800,000, providing employees mobility and flexibility with energy-efficient laptop computers.
That flexibility will allow County employees to be connected while working in the field, working from various County conference rooms and meeting venues, collaborating with other employees throughout the County, and while telecommuting when convenient or necessary. For example, an employee who assesses a piece of property can now take digital notes onsite and won’t have to spend time capturing data twice.
Mobility and flexibility are not the only benefits of the County’s decision to deploy laptops. According to Ashley Boyd, Enterprise Manager with KCIT, laptops use as little as one fourth of the energy a typical desktop PC might consume. “This 75% reduction in power consumption, for 10,000 county PCs, adds up to significant reductions in energy consumption and County utility spending,” said Ashley.
“We are also taking a new approach to procurement,” added Jamie. “We used to order as needed. Now we are moving to more of a life cycle approach and changing out entire departments at a time. It’s more cost effective to do business this way, and it helps us manage lifecycles and software upgrades.”
While a standard user laptop is now the default for all PC requests, KCIT recognizes that there are unique business requirements for full work stations for a variety of professions throughout the County. “In those situations, we continue to have other equipment types predetermined and readily available to meet these special business needs,” added Ashley. “These will be determined on a case-by-case basis.”
The increased deployment of laptops will also enhance King County’s reputation as a government technology leader. King County has been recognized by the Center for Digital Government as one of the United States’ top 10 digital counties 11 times over the past 12 years.
For more information, send KCIT and email or reach out to one of their Service Delivery Managers.
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Prosecutor and District Court launch ESJ teams
The PAO ESJ Team: (from left) Monique Cohen, Stephan Thomas, Jina Kim, Carla Lee, Leesa Manion, Jo Anne Fox, A.J. Greysmith, Dee Sylve, Stephanie Sato, MacKenzie Brown, Heidi Parkington-Thal. Not pictured are Kim Padrow and Karissa Taylor.
Agencies across King County are stepping up to help implement the Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Strategic Plan. Most recently, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and District Court launched ESJ committees to further the goal of using ESJ values to guide King County’s operations, programs and service delivery.
In February, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) formally launched its inaugural Equity and Social Justice Team. With representatives from all divisions, the team focuses on:
- Providing training opportunities and equity-related events
- Documenting and measuring the equity and social justice work already being done in the PAO
- Integrating with County-wide ESJ goals and strategies.
In addition, the PAO ESJ team provides general ESJ-related information and opportunities for employees to learn and be engaged in equity and social justice in their internal weekly newsletter.
“A commitment to equity and social justice is fundamental to all we do at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office,” said Dan Satterberg. “Our ESJ team will help us understand the language and process of incorporating the ESJ lens in our work as an office, in our interactions with the community we serve, and in our individual professional growth.”
Judge Marcine Anderson (left), KCDC-West Division presiding judge, and Lilian Hawkins, KCDC Court Coordinator, are both founding members of the District Court ESJ Sub-committee.
King County District Court also recently launched an ESJ team dedicated to furthering the mission of the ESJ Strategic Plan. After receiving an overwhelming response to a call for volunteers in January, District Court has formed a 24-member ESJ committee comprised of judges, managers and frontline staff, who will hold an official kick-off meeting this spring.
The ESJ team will build upon the ESJ work already underway in District Court. The agency is working with other municipalities to create a regional relicensing program to help individuals get their driver’s license back in order to remove the barrier of restrained mobility. In addition, the Court is looking into establishing a community court program, which may provide alternative solutions and resources to many in need. Instead of sending defendants to seek out services, the Court assists in bringing the services to the defendant. District Court will be undertaking a study during this year to determine the viability of this program.
“The courts are about making sure we’re providing access to justice for all people,” said Lillian Hawkins, court coordinator. “We’re really excited to be leading social justice through our work and everything we do.”
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Public Defense, Kent School District establish Criminal Justice high school course
A mock trial at Kent-Meridian High School, presided by District Judge Nathaniel Green. Twyla Carter is standing behind the students.
A new, one-day civics course on the criminal justice system was introduced to high school seniors throughout the city of Kent last semester.
The course was launched by the County’s Department of Public Defense Misdemeanor Practice Director Twyla Carter and the Kent School District. All five Kent high schools participated, including Kent-Meridian – Washington’s most diverse high school.
“The first Civics Day events at all the high schools in the Kent School District was a huge success,” said Michael Papritz, Kentridge High School Social Studies teacher, co-curricular leader, and school district project manager for the one-day civics course. “The partnership with Twyla Carter has been amazing.”
Michael added that Civics Day is a great way for students to apply their learning in a realistic setting. 600 students participated in sessions that included student legal rights discussions, offender-staffed panel discussions, law enforcement- and lawyer-staffed panel discussions, and student-led mock trials presided by sitting District and Superior Court judges.
With Equity and Social Justice in mind, Twyla saw this not only as a great way to bring civics back into the classroom, but also to encourage more participation by youth in the criminal justice system as jurors and legal professionals.
“I wanted to educate young people about their rights and their civic responsibilities,” said Twyla. By design, she wanted to begin in the most color-diverse area of the County, and Kent welcomed her. “Dr. Watts, the district superintendent, was on board immediately once I pitched the idea to him.”
Plans for this semester’s Civics Day are already in place. According to Michael, the teachers felt it was a day well spent, and the students were totally engaged. He said, “Civics Day can really be a model for other high schools around the state that want to partner with their county personnel in the criminal justice system.”
“The first Civics Day curriculum included more than a year of planning,” added Twyla, “but plans are now in place to present this to the remaining 600 graduating students in May, and the district is committed to doing this with each future senior class.”
Twyla’s longer-term goal is to offer Civics Day to each school district in the County, and perhaps the state. She is already discussing possibilities with two other school districts.
To learn more about Twyla’s DPD and ESJ work with youth and the community, take a look at our May 2016 Employee Communications story or contact her directly by email.
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Eighth Annual Big Backyard 5K Presented by Kaiser Permanente
Parks will host its eighth annual 5K run/walk at Marymoor Park on Sunday, June 11 at 9 a.m. Parks is thrilled to welcome back Kaiser Permanente as the event’s presenting sponsor and Harborstone Credit Union as the official sponsor of the popular BBY5K hoodie. Early registration is available until April 15 and if you register by March 31, you can get that popular hoodie for only $5 more above the early registration rate. This event has raised more than $250,000 for King County Parks over the last seven years. Read more about the event via the press release and register today at bby5k.com.
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Tech Tip: KC eLearning, Explore and leverage a wealth of resources . . . today
Whether you’re looking for just-in-time support for an immediate task, skill and knowledge development around a specific topic, or a certification prep series to propel your career, KC eLearning is your new best friend. Tailor your learning with 1,000s of resources, the flexibility of 24/7 access, and learning at your own pace in your own space.
To get started with KC eLearning, download the KC eLearning Quick Start Guide here or click on the links below:
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MRJC Detention Facility observes 20th Anniversary
Leadership and staff from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention celebrated Maleng Regional Justice Center’s 20th Anniversary last month at the facility in Kent; marking 20 years of providing jail services to the citizens and law enforcement agencies of South King County.
Director William Hayes, Commander Corinna Hyatt, and other DAJD team members shared memories of the direct supervision facility’s March 24, 1997 opening. Direct Supervision refresher training was occurring during the observance; highlighting the importance of ongoing in-service training for corrections staff on Direct Supervision principles and effective supervision of the inmate population.
Commander Hyatt, Kent Division Jail Commander, said “My coworkers at the MRJC detention facility consistently go above and beyond to get the job done and meet the demands of the operation. Many staff work long hours and at times under extreme stress and personal sacrifice. In celebration of the 20-year anniversary, I want to honor our staff and offer my sincere appreciation for their service, leadership, dedication and commitment to operating a safe, secure and humane detention facility. Staff efforts continue to reflect well upon personnel, the Department and King County. Thank you for a job well done!”
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Finding my way into restaurant kitchens: A Food Inspector story
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
For National Public Health Week, we’re celebrating by featuring unsung public health heroes who make our communities safer and healthier. Each day, we’ll highlight a public health worker through their own words, sharing their work and why they’re committed to serving our community.
To kick off the week we spoke with one of our Food Inspectors, Shauna Cartwright. Shauna and her fellow inspectors are responsible for inspecting over 12,000 food establishments, 1,800 pools and spas, 3,000 temporary food events (such as farmers markets and street fairs) and started 2017 by incorporating the new Food Safety Rating System into their day to day work. Wow, they are busy!
Read more at Public Health Insider
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Social Media Spotlight: King County Historic Preservation Facebook
This Facebook page is dedicated to the exploration and discussion of historic preservation activities in King County, Washington.
Follow King County Historic Preservation on Facebook today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Employee Discounts: Save 15% to Seattle Symphony
Employees can save 15% off regular priced seats to the Seattle Symphony’s Rachmaninov “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” using promo code Conductor1617.
Dates: Thursday, April 13, 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m.
How to buy tickets:
Online: Visit the website and use promo code Conductor1617 before selecting your tickets.
Phone: Call 206-215-4747 or 1-866-833-4747 (toll-free)
In Person: Visit the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall, on the corner of Third Ave and Union Street.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount Webpage.
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Kudos! Office of Risk Management Services featured in national magazine for significantly improving employee engagement scores
In 2015, the Office of Risk Management Services scored 66% on the countywide employee engagement survey. While a positive score, Director Jennifer Hills sought to improve it.
“What I realized was that we really needed to invest in becoming a more cohesive team,” Jennifer said. “We were an agency of strong individual performers but we really needed to come together as a team and start to build trust and have healthy conflict and have commitment around our goals and hold one another accountable to achieve the results that we were looking to achieve.”
By working together and using The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team principles, progress was made. In the 2016 employee engagement survey results, the Office of Risk Management Service’s score rose from 66% in 2015 to 84%.
Read more about how this team stepped up to the challenge in this article at Integris titled Raising employee engagement by 33% in one year with The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team.
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