City of Kenmore Police
Letter from the Chief

Police Chief
Clifford Sether
206-296-5020
Email the Chief

Dear Citizens of Kenmore:

The City of Kenmore contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office for police services. The contract through King County authorizes the assignment of twelve deputies: One city chief, a storefront officer, a traffic officer, and nine patrol officers. The contract also provides the following additional services: Dispatch, major investigations, marine patrol, bomb squad, SWAT team, burglary/larceny detective, major accident and reconstruction unit, fraud and forgery investigations, domestic violence intervention unit, canine services, neighborhood drug enforcement team, and vice unit.

The men and women of the Kenmore Police Department are dedicated to making Kenmore a safe community to live in and have established the following goals to assist in accomplishing this task.

1. To reduce crime and the fear of crime.
2. To provide high quality, cost effective and accountable services to the citizens of Kenmore.
3. To commit to community policing through partnership, problem solving, crime prevention.

Below are just a few examples of our commitment to these goals:

• The City of Kenmore administered a Police Satisfaction Survey in 1998 and 2001. One of the areas measured was neighborhood safety. In 1998, 96% of Kenmore citizens felt safe and very safe walking in their neighborhoods during the day and 83.8% felt safe and very safe at night. In 2001, 97% of the citizens felt safe and very safe during the day and 73% felt safe and very safe at night.
• In 1999, there were just six block watches in operation in Kenmore. Due to the hard work of Officer Childers, Kenmore’s Storefront Officer, the block watch program has grown to twenty-four neighborhoods.
• In 2000, the police department joined in partnership with the Northshore School District in adding more time for our School Resource Officers to spend at Inglemoor High and Kenmore Junior High.
• In 2002, we added the following crime prevention programs for Kenmore citizens:

  • Home Security Survey - This survey is helpful in identifying ways to make your home more secure and reduce your chance of becoming a victim of a burglary. The survey is free whether you own your home, or rent it. Please click on the link to find out more information.
  • Vacation House Check Program - This program is for all Kenmore residents who are planning to be out of town for one week or longer. While you are away, a Kenmore Police volunteer will check the exterior of your residence several times a week to ensure doors and windows are secure. Click on the link to find out how to take advantage of this program.

One of the many priorities of the Police Department is to improve communication between citizens and police officers. In an effort to make citizens more aware of police organization, policies and patrol procedures, we have joined in partnership with the cities of Shoreline and Woodinville to sponsor an annual, 'Citizens Academy.' The academy is ten weeks long and meets once a week on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The academy covers a wide variety of subjects from the history of policing to criminal investigations and special operations. We also have a police volunteer program, which allows citizens to participate in a wide variety of community programs.

We value your comments and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me, Chief Sether, at (206) 205-7656 with any concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Clifford G. Sether
Chief of Police