Police Department

Chief’s Message – Eric Drever, Chief of Police

Our Department has remained committed to building trust and reducing crime in our community through community engagement.

Over the past several years, we implemented several strategies to achieve our engagement goals, beginning with improving standards and processes for establishing transparency and accountability. Members of the Tukwila Police Department were pivotal in the administration of policy and the implementation of training at a regional level for compliance with I–940 and the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act (LETCSA). The Valley Independent Investigative Team (VIIT) members are considered experts on independent transparent investigations and helped other agencies stand up their teams. During the year, the Department searched for and added community members to VIIT to assist with the review of independent investigations. The same VIIT assigned community members were asked to participate in our newly created Use of Force Review Board.

In addition to the above strategies, other community engagement activities included: engaging homelessness in the City with empathy and providing resources to those in need, while ensuring the safety of everyone in the community; participating in the T3AMS Juvenile Theft 3 diversion program, which continued to show a reduction in recidivism by its participants; conducting “Bullyproof” training for Foster High School students. Many of our other standing engagement activities needed to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Community Academy, Night Out Against Crime, Shop with a Cop, Touch a Truck, and other Community gatherings were impacted.

The Tukwila Police Department began the process of accreditation through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). Accreditation establishes accountability and improves processes through adoption of established best practices in law enforcement. The Department is on track to be certified as an accredited agency in the Fall of 2021.

Recruitment and retention has remained a priority for the department, although recruitment continued to be an issue nationally and we felt the impacts in Tukwila as well. Addressing attrition in staffing with a renewed focus on quality recruitment efforts, we hired applicants that share our values to best serve the community. In order to further transparency in our hiring process, we have also brought on community members to serve on our hiring interview panels. This adds an added level of transparency and allows us to ensure that the candidate(s) that we are selecting are the best fit not just for our department, but also for the community.  

In 2022, we brought on a full-time Mental Health Provider (MHP) to assist officers with responding to calls involving those in mental crisis and or those with substance abuse issues. This partnership has led to us better serving historically marginalized and or vulnerable populations.

The Tukwila Police Department is committed to building upon our relationships with the community and finding new ways to meet their needs through creative communication and listening to the community through our engagement efforts.

We thank you for the continued opportunity to serve Tukwila!

QUICK LINKS

COPCAB & Tukwila PD 2021 Survey

School Zone Camera Speed Enforcement Program

Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Program

Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Policy

Paying Court Fines

Tukwila PD News

Training & Policies

CryWolf – False Alarm Program

Narcotics Anonymous 

Tukwila Police Department Mission Statement

As an involved part of the Tukwila community, our mission is to provide public safety services that are professional, compassionate and transparent.

As individuals and teams, we are committed to earning the public’s trust with skills, professionalism and collaboration.

Tukwila Police Department Vision Statement

All Tukwila neighborhoods and communities feel protected and respected in their times of need.