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City of Kenmore Police Department
The City of Kenmore is located on the north shore of Lake Washington and has roughly 24,050 residents.
Kenmore is known for its family-friendly neighborhoods, abundant parks and natural spaces, an award-winning public school system, access to higher education, and high-quality medical care.
The City of Kenmore has partnered with the King County Sheriff’s Office to provide police services to residents since incorporation in 1998. Kenmore has designated a mix of police services including locally-dedicated officers who work out of Kenmore's Police station, as well as additional support services such as command oversight, administrative support, and patrol sergeant supervision. These support services have, until 2011, historically been provided by King County Sheriff’s Precinct 2 staff, also located in Kenmore.
However, in 2011, the City of Kirkland annexed all of the unincorporated area between Kenmore, Bothell and Woodinville, which led to the closure and relocation of the Sheriff’s Kenmore precinct to the City of Sammamish, located more than 20 miles from Kenmore. The relocation created a challenge to provide the traditional support services to Kenmore Police Department.
That is when the police chiefs of Kenmore and Shoreline (also a partner city) came together to create a unique partnership between the two departments, that would provide Kenmore with command oversight, sergeant patrol supervision, and administrative support--all provided by the City of Shoreline Police Department. This partnership was the first of its kind between two partner cities. The innovative approach has saved both cities a total of $600,000 a year and earned both cities the Association of Washington Cities' (AWC) 2013 Municipal Excellence Award for innovative partnering.
"Having managed a city with an in-house police department, I see the benefits of contracting for police services with the King County Sheriff's Office. By contracting, the City of Kenmore is able to keep its law enforcement costs down, which frees up funds for other priorities. And, contracting for police services takes away a lot of headaches—collective bargaining, discipline, administration and overhead to name a few."
- Rob Karlinsey, Kenmore City Manager
"When the City of Kenmore incorporated in 1998 and decided to partner with the Sheriff's Office for police services, I was very excited. I knew there was going to be a select group of nine officers assigned to the newly established Kenmore Police Department. I had the opportunity to interview for one of the positions and was selected. Today, I believe the officers we have working for the Kenmore Police Department are among the very best.
"Our city's police officers and residents have a long-standing partnership in preventing crime and providing public education. The City of Kenmore was named one of the 'Best Metropolitan Neighborhoods to Live' by 'Seattle Magazine,' and it is also one of the safest communities in the state according to SafeWise. The city's police officers are dedicated to making this city a great place to live and visit and are doing their best to make the City of Kenmore live up to that distinction."
- Gary Zornes, Master Police Officer, Kenmore Police Department