Issaquah, King County commemorate Police Week
May 15, 2012
NEW — 4:30 p.m. May 15, 2012
King County Council members joined municipalities throughout the United States to proclaim May 13-19 as Police Week.
The proclamation, issued Monday, also recognizes law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, including Pierce County Deputy Shandon Wright, Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson and Washington State Trooper Tony Radulescu.
Local Councilman Reagan Dunn sponsored the proclamation. (Dunn represents rural areas south of Issaquah and Newcastle on the council.)
“We cannot thank the brave men and women of law enforcement enough for what they do every day,” he said in a statement. “Honoring our sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies by designating this week as Police Week is a small thing we can do to show our support and stand with these officers that keep us safe day in and day out.”
Issaquah Police Department joins Click It or Ticket patrols
May 15, 2012
NEW — 4 p.m. May 15, 2012
Issaquah police officers plan to urge motorists to buckle up — or else — on Click It or Ticket patrols from May 21 to June 3.
The patrols start as public safety officials celebrate the 10th anniversary of Washington’s primary seat belt law. Officials estimate the law requiring motorists to buckle up has saved 1,010 lives.
Besides the Issaquah Police Department, 37 agencies in Western Washington plan to look for unbuckled motorists and passengers.
Violators face a $124 fine for not wearing a seat belt.
Washington state is a leader in seat belt use in the United States with 97.5 percent of motorists wearing seat belts — up 82 percent since the primary seat belt law took effect in 2002.
Statewide, traffic deaths declined from 658 in 2002 to 455 in 2011.
Issaquah police officers earn top law enforcement honor
May 8, 2012
Officer Jesse Petersen, Cpl. Christian Munoz, and officers Brian Horn and Laura Asbell (from left) stand at the Washington Law Enforcement Memorial after receiving the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor in a May 4 ceremony in Olympia. By Jacqueline Kerness/Issaquah Police Department
In a solemn ceremony not far from the state Capitol, Gov. Chris Gregoire slipped a Law Enforcement Medal of Honor around the necks of police officers involved in a deadly September 2011 shootout at Clark Elementary School.
Issaquah police plan extra DUI enforcement for Cinco de Mayo
May 2, 2012
NEW — 1:30 p.m. May 2, 2012
Local law and public health enforcement agencies asked revelers to toast Cinco de Mayo responsibly as the holiday approached.
Statewide, law enforcement agencies and the Issaquah Police Department plan to embark on a campaign to nab drunken drivers on the holiday, Saturday.
Local law enforcement agencies, plus the Washington State Liquor Control Board and the Washington State Patrol, scheduled extra DUI officers and troopers to remove dangerous drivers from the road. Law enforcement officers also plan to visit bars to ensure responsible service.
Latino community leaders from the Mexican Consulate in Seattle, El Centro de la Raza, SeaMar Community Health Centers and Consejo Counseling & Referral joined Public Health – Seattle & King County and Target Zero Teams to support the traffic safety effort.
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg showcases high-tech crime-fighting tools
May 1, 2012
Investigators used saliva from a cigarette butt discarded at a murder scene to connect a suspect to the slaying. Recorded jailhouse phone conversations led prosecutors to convict a man for brutal acts of domestic violence. Cellphone data allowed police to trace gang members’ movements before and after a chaotic shooting at a crowded car show.
Dan Satterberg
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg delved into recent cases April 17 and outlined the forensic science tools investigators and prosecutors use to lock criminals behind bars.
In a talk given to the Rotary Club of Issaquah, Satterberg offered a presentation akin to “CSI: Issaquah” — down to using the “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” theme music, The Who’s “Who Are You.”
“This has changed the way that we investigate cases. It has given us results that we never thought we’d be able to get to solve cold cases going way back,” he said to the Tibbetts Creek Manor audience. “It has in some ways made the job of the police investigator and the deputy prosecutor more complicated.”
The cigarette butt and a spent shell casing linked gang member Omar Norman to the October 2005 murder of Terrell Milam, a rival gang member.
Community hosts discussion about alcohol, drug use among children
April 30, 2012
NEW — 1:30 p.m. April 30, 2012
Community leaders, including the Issaquah Police Department, plan to host a discussion about drug use among children Wednesday.
The discussion, titled “Drug Use and Our Kids: The Neurological, Developmental and Social Realities Associated with Youth Drug Use and Abuse,” is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. at Clark Elementary School library, 500 Second Ave. S.E.
The speakers include Jerry Blackburn, a chemical dependency professional and faculty member in the Chemical Dependency Counseling program at Bellevue College, and Karin Weihe, the Issaquah Police Department’s student resource officer for the school district.
Participants can learn more about the prevalence of alcohol and drug use by local youths, and the effects such use has on their learning, development and success.
Email info@clarkpta.org for more information.
Dump expired, unused medication at Issaquah Police Department
April 26, 2012
NEW — 6 a.m. April 26, 2012
Saving unused or expired medication can lead to improper and illegal use.
So, the Issaquah Police Department is offering residents a chance to dump expired and leftover medication.
The police department is hosting a medication take-back event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at City Hall, 130 E. Sunset Way.
In addition, Issaquah residents can drop off expired or unused medications anytime from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, at the police department.
People can return unused or expired medications anonymously for disposal — no questions asked.
Prescription painkillers — often stolen and abused — contribute to a statewide overdose epidemic.
Fireworks proposal fizzles as City Council aims for 2013 display
April 24, 2012
Independence Day revelers eager to see the rockets’ red glare in the Issaquah sky must wait at least another year, after City Council members decided against funding a holiday fireworks display.
Councilman Mark Mullet, owner of Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop and Zeeks Pizza in the Issaquah Highlands, offered to fund a July 3 fireworks display at Tibbetts Valley Park. The proposal fizzled April 16 after other council members raised questions about budget, calendar and space limitations.
120 years of Issaquah
April 24, 2012
Click on the image to view the full-size timeline.
1892
- Issaquah is founded as Gilman. The city is named for railroad baron Daniel Hunt Gilman.
1893
- The postmaster called for mail sent to Gilman to be addressed to Olney, Wash., to avoid confusion between Gilman and Gilmer, another city in the state.
1895
- Townsfolk start calling the frontier town Issaquah, or “the sound of water birds” in the language of the American Indians native to the region.
1899
- State lawmakers approve official name change from Gilman to Issaquah.
Press Editorial
April 24, 2012
Spring clean the medicine chest, too
