| On the same day last week, our police department was honored in two very different ways. First, we received accreditation from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). There are over 240 agencies in Washington State, yet only 79 are accredited. Sumner is one of them and has been for 20 years now. This is not something you get lightly. You must prove that you follow and meet 146 separate standards, ranging from records management to use of force. One of the areas of major emphasis requires us annually to review all incidents that involved vehicle pursuits, uses of force, internal investigations and bias-based profiling incidents. We watch the data, looking for any concerning issues or trends that need to be addressed. Another major emphasis area is on training: we must track that all sworn personnel complete at least 24 hours of in-service training each year. The best part of accreditation is the assurance it gives you that our staff are operating to the best of standards. You don’t have to take my word for it or the Chief’s word for it. Independent auditors from WASPC came in and combed through those 146 standards. They’re the ones telling you that Sumner PD is operating at the highest of industry standards. The second, very different, honor was closer to home as the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District recognized our School Resource Officer Brandon Anderson for his work this year in schools. With programs like Badges and Boxing as well as Badges and Barbells, he’s building strong connections and community between police and youth. And, of course, he’s not the only one building these connections. I bring up this award because it highlights the balance of our department. They fulfill the highest standards in the state while they also prioritize proactive, community-level connections, a hallmark of small-city life that isn’t always found in larger jurisdictions. Chief Moericke was giving an update to Sumner Rotary yesterday, and he emphasized that when hiring, he doesn’t just seek brawn, the traditional stereotype for policing. He also looks for brains and heart. We can teach standards, even to the highest levels, but we can’t always teach character. Thank you to Chief Moericke and all our staff in the Police Department for bringing your best each and every day. Thank you to Bree Cowdrey, our Police Department’s Professional Standards Officer, who spent a great deal of time managing the re-accreditation process. You all truly shine state-wide and here at home, in Sumner. Mayor Kathy Hayden |
