Summary

Councilmember von Reichbauer congratulates Patti Cole-Tindall on her nomination to be King County’s New Sheriff

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine on Tuesday announced that he has nominated King County Interim Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall to be the next King County Sheriff. Cole-Tindall has been serving as interim sheriff since late 2021 and has been with the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) since October 2015.

“Based on my meetings with Sheriff Cole-Tindall and having watched her testify before various Council committees, I have been impressed with her straightforward assessment of the issues King County is facing as we look to stem the rising tide of lawlessness,” said King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, who represents South King County on the King County Council. “During her time as interim sheriff, she has provided a smooth transition from an elected office to an appointed one, and her strong background in law enforcement, labor relations, and human resources, as well as her service to community, will be an asset to both the Sheriff’s Office and King County as a whole.”

Prior to being appointed as interim, Cole-Tindall had served as King County Undersheriff, where she was responsible for day-to-day operations with the team of three Division Chiefs, and oversaw the development and implementation of the KCSO strategic plan and the examination and strengthening of the KCSO complaint and use of force review processes. Before her work at the KCSO, Sheriff Cole-Tindall served as the County’s Director of Labor Relations and concurrently served as interim director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight.

With the King County voters’ passage of Charter Amendment 5 in November 2020, the position of King County Sheriff changed from one elected by the voters to an one appointed by the King County Executive with approval by the King County Council. Prior to this vote, it had been an elected position since 1996. 

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