As the chief of the Redmond Police Department, I want to briefly address the recent claims made against the City of Redmond Police Department.

I am proud of the manner in which we uphold our core values of integrity, accountability and commitment to service, even at times when these values are put into question. As the chief, I strongly believe that it is our civic duty and responsibility to fairly hold our employees accountable when their behavior falls short of our high expectations. This is a duty that I take seriously. While I will not comment at this time about any particular claim, I will say that our commitment to accountability is at the root of each of these claims. In each instance, the officer involved was the subject of sustained findings of violations of policies, procedures and/or standards.

It is only through this level of accountability that we continue to have the support of the citizens we serve. I remain steadfast that my disciplinary decisions in these cases have been made in a manner that is in keeping with our community expectations, our department values, our internal Manual of Standards and the Collective Bargaining Agreement established by and between the City of Redmond and the Redmond Police Association (which represents our officers).

I believe that our community will continue to have the highest level of confidence in our department, and that they can continue to be proud of who we are and what we do on their behalf. The Redmond Police Department will continue to serve our citizens and keep our community safe with our high standards in mind.