Summary

King County leaders joined today with the city of Sammamish to dedicate a new command center for the King County Sheriff inside Sammamish City Hall, and to launch a new model for service delivery that will increase patrol time on the streets.

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King County leaders joined today with the city of Sammamish to dedicate a new command center for the King County Sheriff inside Sammamish City Hall, and to launch a new model for service delivery that will increase patrol time on the streets.

“This new space embodies two of the reforms we’re bringing to King County: creating efficiencies, and creating partnerships to solve problems,” said County Executive Dow Constantine. “By consolidating two Eastside precincts inside Sammamish City Hall, we can improve service, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.”

“The consolidation of the Sheriff’s Office with our Eastside contract cities will foster communication and the sharing of information between agencies, and enable our officers to fight crime more effectively,”  said King County Sheriff Steve Strachan.

The new “Sammamish Station” consolidates two police precincts into previously-vacant space on the second floor of Sammamish City Hall, saving more than $400,000 a year in operating costs, or $8.6 million over a 20-year term, including the sale of the precinct properties. Other costs were saved through the use of re-purposed furnishings and equipment from other facilities. The move also reduces the footprint of the Sheriff’s Office’s from 24,500 square feet at two precinct buildings to 5,200 square feet at Sammamish Station.

Sheriff’s deputies will share such facilities as holding cells and booking areas with the Sammamish Police Department, reducing overhead for both agencies.

“The city is always on the lookout for productive partnerships, so this is great,” said Sammamish Mayor Tom Odell. “We also appreciate the increased police presence in our community.”

Under the trend in law enforcement known as “hot-desking,” Sheriff’s deputies can now start the day in the field in their assigned patrol areas, rather than reporting to precinct offices to start their shift. Officers can do most of their work in the field via laptop, and will need to stop in to file reports at shared “hot desks” in the police departments of contract cities and at the new Sammamish Station only when necessary. The practice enables deputies to do more work in the field, and increases the time they can spend on patrol.

“This innovative approach, with a centralized command center and shared resources among our contract cities, revolutionizes the way we provide public safety services,” said Metropolitan King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, chair of the Council’s Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee and representative of Northeast King County. “This concept will benefit both the residents of unincorporated areas and the contract cities with increased presence of law enforcement.”

The new station is the result of a collaborative and creative partnership between Executive Constantine, the County Sheriff, the City of Sammamish, and other city contract partners.

About 45 Sheriff’s Office employees will be based at the new facility.