We were honored to spend Peace Officers Memorial Day (Monday, May 15, 2023) surrounded by Seattle Police Department Detective Antonio Terry’s (EOW June 4, 1994) family, friends, and colleagues at a dedication ceremony commemorating his new memorial stone at the South Precinct.

It was an extraordinary privilege to share space with the Terry family on such an important day.

This event marked the official launch of the Seattle Police Fallen Officer Memorial Project, which installs custom granite badges in honor of Seattle police officers who have died in the line of duty. This project came to us in 2022 as a grant proposal from SPD Detective Britt (Sweeney) Kelly, who was in the car with Officer Tim Brenton when he was shot and killed in 2009. Kelly, still in field training at the time, was also shot in the ambush, but did not let the incident hinder her pursuit of a career in law enforcement.

Kelly was inspired to write the grant after she happened to pass by Brenton’s memorial, located at 29th Avenue and E Yesler Way, near where the two were shot. To her dismay, she found it in disarray, covered in weeds and not appropriately cared for. Spurred to action, she recruited those in her Unit to join her in cleaning up the memorial. This sparked the idea of having SPD’s post-Basic Law Enforcement Academy recruits help her clean and maintain the memorial.

The manual act of maintenance dovetails neatly with conversations about line-of-duty deaths.

Her goal is not to frighten new officers but simply provide some insight into one of the realities of law enforcement. In her 15 years in law enforcement, she’s experienced three that struck close.

“It's not, ‘will this happen to you?’ it's, ‘how often?’” Kelly said.

She also began caring for Det. Antonio Terry’s memorial, which is located along an I-5 offramp and extremely challenging to access. Seeing an opportunity, her grant proposal requested the funding for a new memorial for Det. Terry, that would match Officer Brenton’s and be in a much more accessible location. She submitted her proposal in August of 2022, and Det. Terry’s new memorial was installed in the front lawn of SPD’s South Precinct on April 27, 2023.

Moving forward, these granite mourning badges will be installed once a year for each of SPD’s fallen officers, at locations that hold a connection to the fallen officer. The next memorial will honor the department’s most recent loss, Officer Alexandra “Lexi” Brenneman Harris (EOW 06-13-2021), and move backwards through time.

This project at its core exemplifies the often-uttered words; “we will never forget,” by giving the phrase a tangible and definitive form. More than anything else, she wanted to create beautiful, highly accessible spaces that anyone can visit, at any time of day or night, to grieve, mourn, remember, and give gratitude to the one fallen.

We are so grateful to KOMO News anchor Molly Shen for doing such an exceptional job with this important story. If you would like to support our next memorial honoring Officer Alexandra “Lexi” Brenneman Harris, please visit our donation page. Thank you!

Boating season is upon us, which means it’s more important than ever to help make sure that our friends at the Seattle Police Department’s iconic Harbor Patrol Unit have the tools and technology needed to save lives and preserve property.

Thanks to our generous donors and the amazing boating community, last summer we were able to have a real and positive impact on public safety in and around our waters and we hope to do that again.

This year we are working to raise $75,000 to help pay for new bunker gear and other crucial marine fire suppression equipment, along with updated Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) thermal imaging systems. FLIRs give Harbor Patrol Unit officers the power to see clearly in total darkness, by converting heat into visible images. FLIRs are primarily used for finding people and are a critical part of search and rescue and emergency rescue response.

Additionally, they are helpful in criminal incidents and can help locate suspects attempting to elude police by hiding in dark spaces under docks and in thick vegetation along shorelines.

FLIRs can also be useful in firefighting, helping officers pinpoint hotspots. The Seattle Police Harbor Patrol unit is the only marine unit in the Pacific Northwest with 24-hour operations and is the only public safety entity in our region that can enter a hot zone and begin fire containment efforts while law enforcement action is taking place. The ability to fight fires and prevent them from spreading is essential to the preservation of life, property, and evidence.

For more information about the Harbor Patrol Unit and this fundraising initiative, visit our Harbor Patrol webpage. To head straight to the donation page, visit: Harbor Fundraiser 2023.

Friday May 12 marked the 39th annual Celebrity Waiters Luncheon, of which the Seattle Police Foundation was excited and honored to be the beneficiary for the second year in a row.

As high noon approached, throngs of costumed guests assembled in the Spanish Ballroom at Seattle’s iconic Fairmont Olympic Hotel, dressed as everything from to security guards and to jungle creatures. The creativity of CWL waiters and guests run amok with this year’s theme, which was “Lunch at the Museum,” a play on words inspired by actor Ben Stiller’s 2006 blockbuster film “Night at the Museum.”

This year we decided to keep our mission broad, and prioritized investments in the Seattle Police Department EMT Unit, Officer Wellness, and Community Engagement. We wanted to preserve flexibility in how we apply this vital funding, so that we’re better able to meet Seattle police officers where they’re at and fund the programs and items that they need the most. By doing this, we are much better able to connect police and community while also working to enhance officer wellness and morale.

The raise-the-paddle beneficiary was the EMT Unit, which solely relies on Seattle Police Foundation funding as it is not supported by the City of Seattle. SPD EMS Coordinator Tyler Verhaar gave guests an overview of the EMT Unit, what it does, and how it saves lives.

“The Seattle Police Department EMT unit is a breed of extraordinary individuals,” Verhaar said. “These men and women volunteer to go into harm's way and render aid to those who need them, regardless of who they are or what circumstance brought them there.”

Seattle businessman and SPF board member Zach Laster-Hazzard spoke about the importance of the Unit, which saved his life in 2018 after he was the victim of random gun violence. Thanks to Zach’s compelling testimony, along with Verhaar’s passionate overview of the Unit, CWL guests generously raised their paddles to the tune of $307,550 for the EMT Unit.

This money will pay for training and the specialized medical kits needed by officers in the EMT Unit and will help save many lives in the Seattle community. We are very grateful!

Overall, the Celebrity Waiters Luncheon brought in around $572,000 in funding to help make Seattle a safer, healthier community for all who live, work, and play here. If you would like to learn more about the Celebrity Waiters Luncheon, please visit the website at: http://www.celebritywaiters.org/.

We have a unique opportunity to help Seattle Police Department detectives solve an unsolved case, and thanks to our generous donors, we are currently about a third of the way to our goal.

In 2017 and 2018, multiple body parts washed ashore in the area of Four Mile Rock near Seattle’s Discovery Park. Despite exhaustive efforts by Seattle Police Detectives and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, they have not yet been able to determine the identity of the person or how they died.

With the department unable to invest the expected cost of $15,000 for DNA testing, last month the Seattle Police Foundation launched crowdfunding efforts to pay for genetic genealogy analysis in hopes of helping to solve this case.

More than anything else, we want to provide closure to the person’s family.

Crowdfunding to support DNA testing has already been successfully used by other law enforcement agencies in Washington. Last year, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department launched fundraising efforts to test the DNA of a foot found in a sneaker that was discovered in the Elwha River in 2021. The test revealed the foot belonged to a woman who disappeared in 2018.

In our most recent grant cycle, we awarded a $4,500 grant to Henry Liu of SPD’s Public Affairs Office, to help him build connections between SPD and the community, as well as connections within his active teams of SPD liaison officers and CSOs.

He is using the grant funding to host quarterly team lunches, which are successfully facilitating communication, camaraderie, and collaborative dialogue among SPD employees who don’t always get the opportunity to work together. It’s been a great way to connect police officers, CSOs, crime prevention coordinators, and community leaders, by giving them the opportunity to develop relationships, talk about their work, and experience areas of the City they don’t always visit.

He has held three cross-precinct/unit lunches so far, in different parts of Seattle, and has received fantastic feedback from his attendees. It’s been a great wellness activity, which benefits not only the staff in attendance, but the community as a whole.

He is also hosting larger-scale community events, which are elevating SPD’s relationship with the community members who live, work, and own businesses in our City.

When you support SPF, you are supporting our grant program and making these things possible. To learn more about our grant program, please visit our website!

On April 24, 2023 Seattle Police Department Police Dog Lex turned two years old!

K9 Lex is a goofy dog who is full of energy! He’s always happy and is one of the friendliest dogs you’ll ever meet, despite being a trained K9 officer. Born on April 24, 2020, Lex is a gorgeous Belgian Malinois German Shepherd mix, trained to locate evidence and track suspects. He began his service to the Seattle community on April 16, 2022.

Lex gets excited when he and his handler arrive at work and will spin around in circles in the back of the patrol car, barking to announce his arrival.

He has become quite partial to belly rubs and isn’t too particular about who does the rubbing – even complete strangers! And hold on to your toys and stuffies, because if Lex sees them, he might just want to “borrow” them for a second to see if they’re any good. When Lex is not working, he loves to relax with his favorite KONG and play with his handler’s two Labrador Retrievers. He likes to make friends with other dogs and can be quite enthusiastic when introducing himself to new 4-legged friends.

His favorite bedtime snack is Greenies.

Lex holds a special place in all our hearts, as he was named in honor of fallen Seattle Police Officer Alexandra Brenneman Harris, known as Lexi by her friends and colleagues.

Learn more about SPD's K9 Unit on our webpage.

On April 29 we wished Police Horse Felix a very happy birthday!

Born on April 29, 2009, Police Horse Felix is an American Quarter Horse gelding who started his life in Austin, Texas. He eventually landed in Olympia, Washington, to pursue a career in cutting, which is an equestrian sport involving cattle. PH Felix did not enjoy working with cows, so he decided to change careers and go into law enforcement. He started his service to SPD in December of 2018.

Felix is truly a rare gem. He’s the redhead of the crew with the biggest heart. At first, he came onto the Unit as anyone would in a new setting – very reserved and seemingly critical of his new surroundings. He slowly began to open up, and let his quirky, spunky, fun-loving personality shine through. Felix wants to be friends with all the other horses – he’s a people pleaser through and through.

Felix’s best buddy is Li’l Sebastian, (affectionately known around the barn as “Buzz)” who lived with Felix down in Olympia. Felix very much wanted Li’l Sebastian to join him in law enforcement and apparently can be very persuasive! Mounted Patrol Unit officers arrived in Olympia that day to pick up one police horse, but somehow, they managed to bring home a little Shetland pony as well.

(With full permission from SPD command staff, of course.)

Now the two serve the community of Seattle selflessly, Felix as a Police Horse and Li'l Sebastian as a Level I Miniature Therapy Horse.

Felix’s registered name is “A Stellar Cat,” which we think suits him very well, because he is certainly a stellar police horse. Happy birthday Felix! We hope you get to spend a relaxing day in the beautiful sunshine! Please visit our Mounted Patrol Unit webpage to learn more about the police horses of SPD.

Sunday, May 14 marked the beginning of National Police Week, an annual week-long observance that recognizes the professionalism, dedication, and courage exhibited by this country’s law enforcement officers as they put themselves in harm’s way every day to serve their communities.

The week includes Peace Officers Memorial Day, which falls annually on May 15, and specifically honors and mourns the police officers killed in the line of duty. It is a meaningful opportunity for community members, law enforcement officers, and surviving family members to come together to remember and honor our fallen officers.

Each year, a series of events takes place in Washington DC, including the National Police K9 Memorial Service and the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. We are happy to share that this year, Chief Adrian Z. Diaz and others from SPD traveled to DC and were there as K9 Jedi was honored during the K9 Memorial Service.

Handlers from all over the country laid roses for their fallen partners (see above image).

Since many of us are unable to travel to Washington DC to attend the National Memorial Service, we wanted to make sure that everyone is aware that the state of Washington has its own Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.

It is located directly north of the Temple of Justice and overlooks Heritage Park and Capitol Lake. The names of fallen Washington law enforcement professionals are carefully etched into the granite memorial wall, which is a wonderful place to reflect on the sacrifices made by our community’s police and corrections officers.

Washington’s Law Enforcement Memorial was first conceptualized in 1995 after a group of local law enforcement professionals journeyed to Washington D.C. to visit the National Law Enforcement Memorial.

Washington’s law enforcement community was grieving at the time, having recently experienced three line-of-duty deaths in close succession. Seattle Police Department Detective Antonio Terry (EOW June 4, 1994), Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jim Kinard (EOW August 15, 1994), and Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Deputy John Bananola (EOW October 16, 1995) were all shot and killed in the line of duty.

Spurred to action, one of the individuals who traveled to DC that year was Seattle Police Department Sgt. Frank Kampsen (now retired), who decided that the state of Washington needed to have its own law enforcement memorial. After over 10 years of hard work, fundraising, and planning, the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial was built.

A couple years into the journey, the nonprofit that would eventually morph into the Behind the Badge Foundation was incorporated. Today, Behind the Badge Foundation serves as the steward of the memorial. If you’ve never seen it, it is a beautiful memorial and worth the trip to Olympia.

What an incredible legacy by Sgt. Kampsen and others!

The Seattle Police Foundation stands in support of the Seattle Police Department and other law enforcement agencies around the country and grieves those lost in the line of duty. To learn more about National Police Week, please visit the website.