King County gun-buyback event collects 716 firearms
January 29, 2013
NEW — 10 a.m. Jan. 29, 2012
King County and partner agencies collected 716 firearms and distributed $68,000 in gift cards during a gun-buyback event Jan. 26.
The operation, held in downtown Seattle near Seattle Police Department headquarters, collected 348 pistols and 364 rifles — including three “street sweepers,” or shotguns with a high-capacity magazine capable of holding a dozen 12-gauge shotgun shells.
Though private buyers set up near the event site, officials said the public overwhelmingly chose to participate in the gun-buyback program. State law permits private gun sales between Washington residents without a background check, even though a background check is mandated for retail gun sales.
King County, Seattle agencies launch gun-buyback program
January 15, 2013
King County and Seattle leaders launched a gun-buyback program Jan. 8 in a bid to curb gun violence.
The countywide initiative offers a monetary incentive for people to turn in firearms. The initial gun-buyback event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26 in the downtown Seattle parking lot underneath Interstate 5 between Cherry and James streets.
In exchange for dropping off a weapon, people receive a gift card valued at up to $100 for handguns, shotguns and rifles, and up to $200 for assault weapons.
King County, Seattle launch gun-buyback initiative
January 14, 2013
NEW — 10:30 a.m. Jan. 14, 2013
King County and Seattle leaders launched a gun-buyback program Jan. 8 in a bid to curb gun violence.
The countywide initiative offers a monetary incentive for people to turn in firearms. The initial gun-buyback event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26 in the downtown Seattle parking lot underneath Interstate 5 between Cherry and James streets.
In exchange for dropping off a weapon, people receive a gift card valued at up to $100 for handguns, shotguns and rifles, and up to $200 for assault weapons.
John Urquhart takes office as King County sheriff
December 4, 2012
John Urquhart
John Urquhart assumed office as King County sheriff Nov. 28, months after retiring as the agency’s longtime spokesman.
Urquhart, a former sheriff’s office sergeant, defeated the incumbent sheriff, Steve Strachan, 56 percent to 43 percent, in the Nov. 5 election after a contentious campaign.
Strachan, a former Kent police chief, and Urquhart debated how to lead the sheriff’s office after a series of audits lambasted how the agency operates.
The sheriff oversees a budget of about $150 million and about 1,000 employees, and leads the largest local police organization in the state after the Seattle Police Department.
Urquhart won election to fill the remaining year in former Sheriff Sue Rahr’s unexpired term, and is due to face voters again next year.
Voters choose John Urquhart for King County sheriff
November 13, 2012
John Urquhart
John Urquhart is King County’s next top lawman.
Urquhart defeated the incumbent sheriff, Steve Strachan, 57 percent to 43 percent, after a contentious campaign.
Strachan, a former Kent police chief, and Urquhart, a former sheriff’s office sergeant and spokesman, locked horns about the agency’s future. The contest to lead the King County Sheriff’s Office hinged on a series of audits into how the agency operates.
The sheriff oversees a budget of about $150 million and about 1,000 employees, and leads the largest local police organization in the state after the Seattle Police Department.
Meet candidates in contested congressional, legislative races
July 17, 2012
The only local races contested in the Aug. 7 primary election include a U.S. House of Representatives election and a state House of Representatives election.
Friends: Rick Nelson was a good officer, death was a shock
January 10, 2012
People who were close to Rick Nelson say the information given out by the Seattle Police Department doesn’t match the loyal, dependable and intelligent man they know and loved.
Richard F. Nelson
Friends described Nelson, 50, of Issaquah, as a devoted husband to his wife Cathi and a loving father to his teenage daughters Kristine and Kelly.
“He was a hero to all of us. He would never think twice about dropping everything to help anyone at any time. He was that kind of a guy,” Michael Hatzakis, a close friend of Nelson’s for the past five years, said.
Nelson was a passionate police officer who spent 21 years with the department, most of them training a large number of officers in the South Seattle precinct.
“He dedicated his entire 21 years to making the Rainier Valley a better, cleaner place,” said another friend, Charles Merrin, who had known him for about five years.
“He was focused on keeping the kids in the neighborhood out of trouble,” he added. “He was very intense, had very strong opinions, was extremely loyal and extremely dedicated.”
Police identify Seattle officer in drug case as Issaquah resident
January 10, 2012
Officials said a Seattle police officer arrested in a drug investigation early Jan. 5 died at a Seattle hospital hours later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Seattle police said Richard F. Nelson, 50, of Issaquah, was suspected of using crack cocaine, possibly drugs stolen from case evidence. Nelson died at Harborview Medical Center late the afternoon of Jan. 5.
Police booked Nelson into the King County Jail just after 4 a.m. that day and released on him on personal recognizance about 30 minutes later — a normal procedure for first-time drug offenders in King County.
At about 11 a.m., as Seattle Police Chief John Diaz prepared to address journalists about the case, Eastside Fire & Rescue crews responded to a report of a man with a gunshot wound near a North Bend-area trailhead.
Crews responded to the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and rushed the man to Seattle for treatment.
Police identify Seattle officer dead amid drug case as Issaquah resident
January 5, 2012
NEW — 6 p.m. Jan. 5, 2012
Officials said a Seattle police officer arrested in a drug investigation early Thursday morning died at a Seattle hospital hours later after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Seattle police said the officer, a 50-year-old Issaquah man, had been suspected of using crack cocaine — possibly drugs stolen from case evidence. The man died at Harborview Medical Center late Thursday afternoon.
Police booked the officer into the King County Jail just after 4 a.m. and released on him on personal recognizance about 30 minutes later — a normal procedure for first-time drug offenders in King County.
Then, at about 11 a.m., as Seattle Police Chief John Diaz prepared to address journalists about the drug case, Eastside Fire & Rescue crews responded to a report of a man suffering from a gunshot wound near a North Bend-area trailhead.
Occupy Seattle protester in pepper spray incident served on Issaquah School Board
December 13, 2011
Occupy Seattle protester Dorli Rainey, 84, turned into the unlikely face of Occupy protests nationwide after police used pepper spray against demonstrators last month.
Dorli Rainey
The incident came as the latest chapter in a long record of civic engagement for Rainey, a former Issaquah School Board member.
Seattle police officers used pepper spray against Rainey and other protesters Nov. 15 as the group blocked a downtown Seattle street and ignored orders to disperse. In the moments after the incident, a photographer captured Rainey as pepper spray and a material meant to dilute the irritant dripped from her face.
“I’m not a dangerous person,” she said days after the incident. “I did not ask for this fame. I really did not ask for this.”
The photo — by seattlepi.com photographer Joshua Trujillo — soon started to go viral, as bloggers and media outlets reposted the image. Then came calls from journalists around the globe. Rainey appeared on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” the day after the incident.
“My whole life has turned upside down,” she said. “My phone rings constantly. My inbox keeps telling me to clean it out.”
Detective Mark Jamieson, Seattle Police Department spokesman, said officers use pepper spray after warning demonstrators and exhausting other options to disperse the crowd.
