Translate
Town of Skykomish Police Department
The Town of Skykomish is a small rural town of roughly 200 residents in the northeast corner of King County, surrounded by rugged unincorporated area.
Although small in size, it is large in history and visitors accessing the local abundant wilderness.
Not needing a full time officer to staff the small town around the clock, Skykomish purchases response to dispatched calls for service made by residents or town visitors. In addition, Sheriff's deputies regularly patrol the area in and around Skykomish, and frequently work out of a storefront located in the town's center. If and when needed, the town also has access to all of the resources at the Sheriff's Office, including detective investigations, SWAT team, Major Accident Response and Reconstruction, Major Crimes, and many more.
Skykomish and its mayor are a member of the "Police Oversight Committee," the partner city group that meets quarterly and guides implementation of the Sheriff's Office Police Partnership Program.
"When I started working in Skykomish, at first I felt quite isolated and disconnected from everything I had known about policing. I live close by and had driven past Skykomish many times over the years, never thinking I would work there some day. At first I figured I would never see anyone and most people would simply keep to themselves rather than strike up a conversation with the new cop in town.
But soon I realized what a tightly-knit community Skykomish really is. Everyone welcomes you and everyone wants to say hi. Still after more than six months, people come up virtually every day to ask a question, share some information, or simply have a chat. I’m now on a first name basis with half the town! I truly feel as if I am part of the community and I have taken ownership of that role.
Given the remote and rugged nature of the area, this open line of communication is not only welcome, but it’s vital to successfully completing our mission of effectively policing this unique community. Communication is at the core of our relationships not only with our contract partners, but also the residents. It’s vital to the relationships we have with the various adjoining local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the area, as none of us can do our job all alone, all the time. It starts with shaking hands and talking to folks.
It’s a symbiotic relationship. People “need” one another up here, and that goes for me too. In this sense I don’t feel as if I merely work here. Rather, I’m being of service and I feel honored to do so."
- KCSO deputy serving Skykomish