Meet the two newest Superior Court Judges

Meet the two newest Superior Court Judges, Judge Chad Allred and Judge Samuel Chung

Judge Chad Allred

Judge Chad Allred

Judge Chad Allred – On May 9, 2014, Governor Jay Inslee appointed Chad Allred to the King County Superior Court bench. Judge Allred assumed the position previously occupied by Judge Trickey, who was appointed to the Washington Court of Appeals.

Judge Allred spent 15 years in private practice, where his litigation experience included trade secrets, tortious interference, securities fraud, racketeering, trust and probate disputes, serious injuries, and some criminal defense. He also developed expertise in the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction and in complex judgment collection. From 1999 forward, Judge Allred volunteered with and supported Open Door Legal Services, which provides free legal help to the homeless in Seattle. He is also an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.

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New tool for Mobile Device Management

If you are one of the over 4,000 employees who connect to King County email on a mobile device (mobile phone or tablet) we’d like tell you about a new service coming your way. This service is called Mobile Device Management (MDM) and it is designed to protect both your information and County information on your mobile device. KCIT

You can benefit from this service whether you are using a County-owned or a personal device. Enrollment in the MDM system only takes a few minutes, and with it you get peace of mind by knowing we can help you locate your device if it’s lost or stolen, selectively remove County information from your device which helps to protect King County’s data and network, and even remotely reset the device to factory defaults (upon your request only) should you lose it, which protects your personal information from exposure.

The system will not infringe on your privacy. We don’t track your location, what apps are installed on the device, phone calls, texts, or any personal information.

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Five Questions with Jimmy Hung, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney

Jimmy Hung1. What was your first role at King County? Ironically (see below), I was a Rule 9 Summer Intern with the Juvenile Unit at the Prosecutor’s Office handling misdemeanor cases.

2. What do you do as Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney? I am currently the Chair of our Juvenile Unit and oversee the prosecution of all juvenile criminal matters in King County.

3. What do you like most about your job? The wonderful, dedicated employees of the PAO that I have the privilege of working with every day.

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Nonprofits help to launch Employee Giving Program’s Ambassador Rally

The Seattle nonprofit, Teen Feed, provides meals for homeless youth in the University District 365 days a year, something it is able to do with help from  King County’s Employee Giving Program.

Representatives from the  Cascade Bicycle Alliance Education Foundation helped to inspire Ambassadors

Representatives from the Cascade Bicycle Alliance Education Foundation helped to inspire Ambassadors

“You are helping provide [homeless teens] what they need 24 hours a day,” Suzanee Sullivan the Development and Communications Director said at the EGP Ambassador Rally.

The August 26 rally was held in preparation for the Annual Giving Drive that kicks off on September 24, 2014, and to encourage ambassadors to invite non-profit speakers from the thousands of nonprofits connected to EGP into the workplace.

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Kudos! Tiffany Frank, Customer Service Specialist III, Records and Licensing Services Division

A customer called to express her thanks for the service she received from Tiffany Frank in the Recorder’s Office. You can listen to the customer’s voicemail here or read the transcript below.

My name is Ernestine Rutledge and I’m a senior citizen that had to have some documents completed and recorded on my house and adding my daughter onto my deed and I just wanted to call and let you know that the people who are answering your phone are just absolutely wonderful. Everyone I talked to took the time and gave me information on where to go on the website and they were just awesome, awesome, awesome. In addition to that, I tried to complete the forms and I took them down today and I met this angel, named Tiffany. she was just perfect for me, she gave me all the information, she helped me she didn’t make me feel stupid, she didn’t look at me like I was crazy. She was wonderful. She helped me and I got my form filed and I felt like I had done something. She said, “you know did really well without a lawyer,” and I know that she probably was thinking,” you should have gotten one,” but she didn’t say that to me, she said, “you did well.” And she herself was absolutely wonderful. But I wanted to have you give that information to her and if I need to type it up and send it to your office so you can read it in the staff meeting or whatever, I just wanted to let somebody know down here because you hear so much negative stuff that everybody I talked to were absolutely efficient, wonderful, courteous, and then I met Tiffany today and that just sealed the deal for me. So congratulations to what you’re doing down there, keep it up, keep helping us and keep helping us senior citizens, so you have a blessed day, thank you.

Be prepared for an earthquake

Last week’s earthquake in California is a good reminder that we need to be prepared for an earthquake in Washington state. Our goal is always to continue providing as many County services as possible in an emergency, while also ensuring the safety of our employees. When reporting to work, remember to let safety be your guide for commute decisions and while doing your job, and check with your supervisor or manager for specific information or directions.

Please follow these general tips on earthquake preparedness both at home and at work:

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We are Replacing Your Email PST files

KCITLike many County employees, you may be using PST (Outlook data) files to store email that has outgrown your mailbox. Although using PSTs have been the County’s preferred practice for some time, this fall we are beginning the process to move all data contained in PSTs to Exchange Archive Mailboxes with the PST Replacement Project.

Please note that the ability to store a large volume of email records in the Exchange Archive Mailbox does not satisfy or remove your responsibility to manage your email.  Remember, your email records are County property which must be retained, managed and disposed of in accordance with a State approved retention schedule based on the email content.

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King County Drug Court Celebrates 20 Years

King County Courthouse, Presiding Courtroom, 9:00 a.m., the second Wednesday of the month…the jury box fills with eager and excited men and women of different ages, races, and backgrounds all filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Judge Cheryl B. Carey.  Chief MRJC Judge and Drug Court - Kent

Judge Cheryl B. Carey. Chief MRJC Judge and Drug Court – Kent

Proud children, spouses, significant others, mothers, fathers, grandparents, counselors, and attorneys gather as spectators in the benches.

Everyone is waiting for the King County Drug Court judges to emerge from chambers and preside over a remarkable event – an event marking the completion of a minimum 11-month demanding and sometimes grueling program, the dismissal of felony charges, and the beginning of a profoundly different lifestyle.

Welcome to King County Drug Diversion Court graduation.

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Internet Gateway Filter (IGF) Update

In December of 2011 we implemented an Internet Gateway Filter to prevent users from accessing inappropriate (as defined by the county’s Acceptable Use Policy) or malicious web sites that can infect computers with viruses. Why do we need a filter? The King County network experiences an average of 100,000 malware attacks each week, 90% of which originate from the Internet. The Internet Gateway Filter helps to significantly reduce these incidents, resulting in less downtime and increased productivity. KCIT

In September we will be making some changes, and moving the function to a different system. This change will cause some websites to be re-categorized, and some websites may be blocked that are currently available. The re-categorization process might place sites into a different category than in the old system.

Category change:

If you believe that the site is improperly categorized, please contact the IT Service Center (206-263-4357) and provide the following information:

  • Your name
  • Your user name
  • The site you wish to access and what category it falls under

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WTD employee (and artist) helps kids create mural

Seattle University’s CitySoil Farm collaborated with Ricardo Israel, a local artist and Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) South Treatment Plant employee, and the Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS) to design an aerosol art mural in Renton.

Ricardo designed and created the center piece of the art installation and the youth group made several quarter-sized pieces to surround the centerpiece. The students created images of bugs, flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables. Mural WTD 2

The mural will be displayed on the treatment plant’s fence facing Grady Way, and visible to passersby from I-405. Views of the mural will also be available from the Black River Trail and a nearby bus stop.

CitySoil farm offers environmental and food system education and donates all produce to the local food banks. Students touring the treatment plant also spend time in the garden planting, harvesting, and learning more about biosolids.

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