February 13 Special Election
Message from Julie Wise, Director of King County Elections Last week we mailed ballots for the February 13 Special Election to around 750,000 King County voters. If you live outside the City of Seattle, there’s a good chance you have something to weigh-in on! Eighteen jurisdictions are asking voters to make choices on a total of 34 ballot measures. These are important decisions about our community and I hope you will take the time to vote and return your ballot. To learn more about what’s on your specific ballot, see your voting history… Read More
Kudos! King County DPD recognized for working to simplify Miranda warning for juveniles
A recent Bloomberg News Article, Kids Need Miranda Rights They Can Understand, highlights the work King County’s Department of Defense (DPD) has done on having developmentally appropriate Miranda warnings for juveniles. The article states “In effect, in most cases the criminal justice system approaches juvenile suspects with confusing language to advise them of their rights, then proceeds to interrogate them without the benefit of counsel. It’s a recipe for injustice.” Thank you to Katherine Hurley, DPD Attorney, and Anita Khandelwal, DPD Policy Director, for their outstanding work on this important project.
Chief gives primer on Airport Rescue & Firefighter unit
Crossposted from the Centerline By Chief Nathan Elledge, Airport Rescue & Firefighting For more than a year, I’ve had the privilege to serve as your Chief of Airport Police and Fire here at King County International Airport/Boeing Field. During my tenure, I’ve noticed that there seems to be some confusion as to who has jurisdictional responsibility when it comes to police and fire response at the airport. Given that, I’d like to provide you with an overview of who we are and what we do. The King County Airport Police and Fire Department,… Read More
Social Media Spotlight: King County Youth Justice blog
The King County Youth Justice blog updates you on work the County and its partners are taking on to reduce youth interaction with the juvenile justice system – especially for youth of color who are disproportionately represented in it. Each post highlights the County’s continuous efforts to improve its support of lasting, positive youth development. Follow the KC Youth Justice blog today. Click here to view all King County social media pages.
King County and surrounding cities host first discussion on homelessness
The OneTable campaign, announced last month, held it’s first workgroup meeting Monday to discuss ways to solve the regional homeless problem. The group comes from various backgrounds, including housing, behavior health and the criminal justice system, with leaders suggesting multiple ways to resolve the issue. “That is going be one of the main outcomes of this conversation,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “What we need to do and what we’re willing to do to get to that prevention side of the equation.” Monday’s meeting was highlighted in several news outlets. Here is a King 5 article entitled “King County… Read More
Two emergency notification systems to keep you safe
On Saturday, January 13, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent a false Wireless Emergency Alert by mistake, causing widespread panic among island residents, and bringing into question safeguards for issuing public emergency notifications. Early reports suggest human error was to blame. While King County and jurisdictions across our region administer similar public alert systems, we have safeguards in place to prevent this type of misstep. Strict procedures are in place and ongoing training is required of those authorized to issue emergency alerts. We will also look closely at Hawaii’s processes to see what else… Read More
DPD’s Lorinda Youngcourt elected to national steering committee
Congratulations! Lorinda Youngcourt, the King County Director of the Department of Public Defense, has been elected to the Steering Committee of the National Association for Public Defense. The Steering Committee is comprised of member-leaders who have risen to distinction through their contributions to the National Association for Public Defense NAPD. It guides the organization with a primary goal of shaping it into a self-sufficient and self-governing entity. Lorinda was a unanimous electee, and her term is effective as of January 18.
PSB deputy director receives rare boats and chance of a lifetime
Recently Michael Jacobson, the Deputy Director for Performance and Strategy with the County’s Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget (PSB), was highlighted in a radio and online piece by KNKX. The piece, entitled “Almost 30 years In The Making, A Seattle Man Gets Ahold Of Two Boats From Taiwan,” shared Michael’s passion for the tatala, an indigenous boat from Taiwan. “It is made up of 21 pieces of wood that have been very carefully custom carved to fit together. There’s pegs holding these pieces of wood together. You see the puzzle shaped nature of this. There’s no… Read More
From the Hip: Christie True, Director, Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Let’s get growing: One million trees by 2020 As someone who has lived her whole life in the Evergreen State, I have always had a strong affinity for the trees that define our landscape and so much of our lives. As a kid I remember being amazed that you could determine the age of a tree by counting its rings. As a college student learning about our Native American history and the first settlers, I was struck by photographs of enormous Douglas firs that grew right up to the edge of… Read More
Enhancing service delivery in unincorporated King County
Dear fellow King County employee, Today I am announcing a proposal to create a new Department of Local Services that would enable us to provide more effective services to the 250,000 people who live in unincorporated communities in King County. Serving the people of this incredibly vast and diverse area is challenging, with its mosaic of rural communities, urban neighborhoods, farmland and forests, islands and mountains. Our employees work hard every day to deliver the services that residents rely on, even as General Fund revenues struggle to keep up with population growth… Read More
Employee News 