Thank you to all our incredible sponsors, supporters, and guests for helping to make sure that this year’s Blue Tie Ball was an amazing success! 

The gala took place Saturday, September 30, at the King Street Ballroom and Perch, located in downtown Seattle. The evening began with a reception, during which guests could meet and learn more about different Seattle Police Department units, including SWAT, K9, ABS, Photo, EMT, Wellness, Harbor, Narcotics, and others.

We were honored to welcome Mayor Bruce Harrell and his wife Joanne, who spent time at the reception chatting with guests and the numerous Seattle Police Department officers showcasing their different units and programs. 

Mayor Harrell addressed the crowd briefly, expressing his deep support for the men and women of SPD. 

The reception was followed by dinner and presentations, a live auction, Raise the Paddle, and a final fundraising sweep. Speakers included Chief Adrian Z. Diaz, SPF CEO Cherie Skager, and SPF Board Member and former Seattle Police Department Captain Jim Dermody. Additionally, we were happy to present Motorola Solutions Foundation with the Partner of the Year award, for all its support of public safety.

SPF Chair Lynne Houserman accepted the award on Motorola Solutions Foundation’s behalf.  

Thanks to a generous community, the event raised more than $465,000 to support officer training, safety equipment, community programs, and officer wellness initiatives not covered by the city budget. It is with profound gratitude that we say thank you for your unwavering commitment to public safety!

Thank you to our generous Blue Tie Ball sponsors, including Lieutenant level sponsor: Steinhauer Properties; Sergeant level sponsors, Axon, Erin Air, Fremont Dock Company, Garneau Nicon Family Foundation, HomeStreet Bank, Hunters Capital, and PPM.

More thanks to our numerous Officer level sponsors: AHT Insurance, Ted Buck, Ralph Chiocco and Dan Ederer, Clise Properties, Commerce Bank, Compass Construction, DA LI Development, Laurie Griffith, Lynne and John Houserman, InCity Properties, JSH Properties, Lane Powell, Chris and Shannon Langer, Lockton Companies, Gary McLean and Mark Pinkowski, Motorola Solutions, Barb Nystrom, SODO BIA, Bonnie and Jim Towne, and Washington Trust Bank.

Learn more about our ongoing work to support officer wellness on our website.

Blue Tie Ball highlight: Explosive Detection K9 Jazzy and handler Officer Eric Dupleich were recognized on stage for their tireless devotion to the City. K9 Jazzy, who will retire at the end of the year, was given a celebratory "puppuccino."

The ninth annual NW ICAC & Technology Conference took place October 3 – 5 in Redmond, Washington, welcoming investigators and industry professionals from all over the world. 

The annual conference is coordinated by the Seattle Police Department-led Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, in partnership with Microsoft, which serves as the host. Since its inception in 2015, Seattle’s ICAC conference has become known as a model of excellence, effectively blending collaboration and innovation to try and curb the exponential growth of technology-facilitated crimes against children.

The Seattle Police Foundation is proud to serve as the fiscal agent on behalf of the WA ICAC TF, accepting sponsorships from both private and corporate partners.

The 2023 conference was made possible through generous sponsorships from Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), Cellebrite, Google, and Microsoft. The WA ICAC TF’s national training partners Griffeye, SEARCH, the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC), and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) all donated their time and expertise. 

The resource-dense conference welcomed 900 attendees, 34 exhibitors, and 170 speakers from various corners of the world, who came together to learn, network, and collaborate, all with the end goal of advancing the fight against criminals who use the internet to prey on kids and vulnerable young adults. Plenary speakers included SPD Assistant Chief of Police Tom Mahaffey, Microsoft General Manager and Chief Digital Safety Officer Courtney Gregoire, Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman, and a keynote speaker who reminded all in attendance of the importance of their work before sharing their story. 

This conference and others like it provide a vital forum for investigators, forensic examiners, social workers, nonprofit professionals, technology professionals, and others who work in this space to connect, build relationships, and work together. The conference is free for attendees, and the WA ICAC TF is committed to providing grants to smaller agencies that don’t have travel budgets. 

This year, thanks to our generous sponsors, the WA ICAC TF was able to cover lodging expenses for 65 attendees, who otherwise may not have been able to attend. 

In October 2024, the NW ICAC & Technology Conference celebrates its 10th anniversary. If you are interested in sponsoring this milestone event, please contact ICAC Strategic Advisor Kelly Crouch at: Kelly.Crouch@seattle.gov. For more information about the conference, visit the website. For more details about the role of the Seattle Police Foundation, visit SPF’s ICAC webpage. 

The 2023 Beds for Kids Project is a wrap! Thanks to generous donors like you, nearly 100 kids from Seattle and its surrounding communities now have cozy new beds to sleep in at night. 

Bed distribution for the 2023 Beds for Kids Project took place on Sunday, October 22, 2023, and was completed by Seattle Police Department Officers, Community Service Officers, and UPS, with support from the Seattle Police Department Quartermaster Unit.

This year’s event was mission-oriented, focused on getting beds delivered directly into the homes of the people who needed them the most. Each delivery included a twin mattress, bed frame, blanket, sheet-set, pillow, and a custom SPD teddy bear. 

Families with multiple kids in need of beds were eligible to receive a maximum of three beds. 

Capitol Hill resident Zenashe Ewntu found out about Beds for Kids by way of the morning news in August, during SPD’s initial outreach targeting applicants. The timing couldn’t have been better, the mother of two said, as she recently moved from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom apartment, to better suit the needs of her family. 

She submitted the nomination form, she said, and promptly forgot about it. She didn’t have a lot of hope that she would be selected as a recipient. 

To say that she was elated to learn that a new bed would be delivered right to her door is an understatement. She happily welcomed the procession of Seattle Police and Community Service Officers, who hand-delivered not only the bed, but everything else needed for a good night’s sleep. She had trouble finding the words to describe her gratitude, but happy and blessed were the underlying theme.

Big ticket items like beds can be difficult to manage with only one income, she explained, and with the holidays coming up, the bills add up quickly. 

“It's a lot for me,” Zenashe said. “I'm a single mom.”

Her kids recognize how hard she works to provide for them, she said, and they don’t ask for a lot, even when the need is deep. A new bed was one of those needs, so obtaining one for free was a tremendous relief for her family. It’s a huge gift, she said.  

Helping Seattle community members like Zenashe is what Beds for Kids is all about! We’re so grateful for the loyal donors who made this possible. We’d like to extend a special thank you to the Women’s University Club for the generous $18,500 donation earlier this year, to UPS for providing a UPS package car to help streamline the delivery process, and UPS supervisor Kari Wilson for volunteering her time. 

Most of all, thanks to our generous Beds for Kids donors who helped bring this program to life once again. It’s not too early to support Beds for Kids 2024. Visit our Beds for Kids webpage.

One of the goals of our Sponsor-a-Horse fundraiser was to raise money that would allow Mounted Patrol Unit officers and staff to provide an elevated level of care to the Police Horses of the MPU. 

Thanks to our many generous donors, that vision is coming to life.

At the end of September, the Police Horses of the MPU began receiving equine massage and bodywork, provided by Woodinville-based Talking Horse Equine Bodywork. Equine massage therapy and bodywork have a wide array of benefits, helping to enhance a horse’s overall health, mobility, and quality of life. For the working horses of the MPU, these types of treatments can help support long-term equine wellness, so that the horses are healthier and happier during their service to the Seattle community. 

In addition to therapeutic massage, Talking Horse provides Equine Kinesiology Tape and Bemer Therapy. Here is a rundown of the therapies provided and the benefits of each:

Massage Therapy is just as great for horses as it is for humans! Equine massage therapy helps to alleviate muscle tension, improve circulation, and promote relaxation, plus it can boost performance, reduce stress, and prevent injury. 

Equine Kinesiology Tape (Equi-Tape) adheres to the horse’s skin to help alleviate pressure and pain, increase oxygen supply and circulation, decrease inflammation and swelling, aid in the removal of toxins, and much more. Equi-Tape is a great supplementary treatment. 

Bemer (bio-electric-magnetics-energy-regulation) Therapy increases blood circulation to promote healing and recovery, helping the horse to relax more easily before and after exertion. Like Equi-Tape, Bemer is a great supplementary treatment to other bodywork. 

Thank you to our Sponsor-a-Horse donors for their generosity! This fundraiser is ongoing so it’s not too late to support the horses of the MPU. Please visit our Sponsor-a-Horse webpage for all the details and to make a donation!

Earlier in October we had the privilege of providing snacks and lunch to students and instructors at the Seattle Police Department’s week-long Bike School.

SPD’s Bike School is a 40-hour course notorious for its difficulty. The renowned training helps set bicycle officers up for success, by preparing them for the many aspects of performing law enforcement safely while on a bicycle. SPD welcomes officers from agencies all over the state of Washington to complete Bike School, which includes classroom instruction, skills courses, drills, training rides, tactical maneuvering, and the grand finale, which is a dynamic scenario called Ride for Life. 

Seattle’s Bike School is tough by design. It’s meant to equip prospective bicycle officers with the skills needed to navigate Seattle’s hilly topography, dense traffic, and crowded pedestrian spaces. Seattle is home to several major events venues that regularly draw thousands to our streets, making the stringent, arduous training necessary to ensure that SPD’s bicycle officers are thoroughly prepared for the situations they are likely to encounter on the job.  

Making it through Seattle’s Bike School is a rite of passage. 

The curriculum teaches officers the best ways to travel over curbs, sidewalks, and stairways, while giving them the opportunity to build their skills. It helps them learn to ride with precision, plus how to dismount rapidly and accelerate smoothly. Each day includes a training ride to build endurance. 

SPD’s fall Bike School welcomed officers from Seattle, Tacoma, Redmond, and Bellevue. The Bellevue and Redmond Police Departments supported the class by each sending an instructor to help teach. We enjoyed the opportunity to observe Bike School firsthand and are glad we were able to help feed hungry students and teachers. For more information about the ways the Foundation has supported SPD’s bicycle officers over the years, visit our website.

On Sunday, October 29, we attended a memorial ceremony in honor of fallen Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, killed in the line of duty on October 31, 2009. 

The service took place at 29th and East Yesler, the location where Officer Brenton was killed, and also the site of a memorial installed in 2010 thanks to the work of the Leschi Community Council and members of the Leschi community. Sunday’s event was coordinated by longtime Leschi resident and former Leschi Community Councilmember Diane Snell, a pillar of the Leschi community.

Snell organized Sunday’s memorial in hopes of keeping the story alive, so that the new generation of Leschi Community Councilmembers know and understand what happened to Officer Brenton and why the memorial exists. 

Brenton’s memorial serves as the model for the memorials that will be installed as a part of the Seattle Police Fallen Officer Memorial Project. Find more information on our website. 

Break bread with some of the finest law enforcement professionals in the country!

This private event will be hosted by legendary Seattle Chef Mauro Golmarvi, at his iconic Assaggio restaurant on February 4, 2024. You’ll enjoy delicious, expertly prepared Italian cuisine and incredible conversation with SPD officers and local community leaders.



This is a golden opportunity to get to know Seattle police officers in a relaxed, fun environment and express your thanks for their service to our community. Guests had a great time at this year's event, and we're looking forward to doing it again.

$750 per person, limited to 45 guests. To secure your spot, use our donation page and note: Cannelloni with a Cop in the comments field.