Congratulations to Seattle Police Department Officer Tyler Verhaar!

On Thursday, July 13, we had the amazing privilege of attending the Puget Sound Business Journal’s inaugural Health Care Heroes Luncheon and seeing EMS Coordinator and Safety Officer Tyler Verhaar honored as one of PSBJ’s 2023 Health Care Heroes.

Officer Verhaar was recognized for his tireless dedication to the preservation of human life, as demonstrated by his commitment to and leadership of SPD’s EMT Unit and other vital programs. The mission of the EMT Unit is to provide lifesaving medical aid to the survivors of violent crime until traditional fire/EMS professionals arrive and are permitted to enter the scene.

The goal is to bridge any gaps, extend the continuum of care, and save as many lives as possible.

“When the scene isn't safe or it's too tumultuous or too austere for traditional EMS to go, that's where we go,” Verhaar said. “That's where we thrive. That's where we provide that lifesaving bridge.”

It was such an honor to be in a room filled with exceptional humans who have given back to the community in profound ways. Thank you PSBJ for launching this important new program!

Learn more about this honor in our newsroom.

When Renaissance Seattle Hotel Director of Operations Howard Cohen pitched the Seattle Police Department’s Beds for Kids project during a recent Emerald City Rotary meeting, Director of Housekeeping Tracey Reed’s interest was immediately piqued.

As a member of the Seattle Police Foundation Board of Directors, Cohen is deeply familiar with Beds for Kids, which is an annual effort and one of SPD’s cornerstone community outreach programs. But the program was new to Reed, who joined Renaissance leadership earlier this year and attended the Rotary meeting as Cohen’s guest.

Cozy, comfortable beds are a mainstay of the hospitality industry, and she had a feeling that the cause would resonate with her Housekeeping staff at the hotel.

She was absolutely correct.

Not only did her staff pool their tips and portions of their wages to support Beds for Kids, Renaissance Food and Beverage Operations Manager Sai Robinson invited her staff to do the same. All felt a connection to the Seattle Police Department’s ongoing efforts to ensure that Seattle kids don’t have to sleep on the floor. Altogether, the Foundation was thrilled and honored to receive a total of $1,659 from Renaissance Seattle’s hardworking hospitality staff to support this year’s Beds for Kids program.

In addition to the monetary donations, hotel staff offered to help deliver and set up the beds, when SPD holds its bed distribution event later this year.

“You’ve got access to the best bedmakers in the city,” Cohen told SPD Community Service Officers.

This money, along with additional donations that came in from the Emerald City Rotary, raised a total of $3,159 for the 2023 Beds for Kids project, which is enough for about 13 beds! We are so grateful for the generosity of the Emerald City Rotarians and the staff at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. This donation helps bring us closer to our 2023 fundraising goal of $65,000 by August 31 to purchase 250 beds.

Please help us make our $65,000 goal by making a gift today!

As you know, Beds for Kids is one of SPD’s cornerstone programs, now heading into its 10th year of providing beds to kids in our community who don’t already have them.

The mission of Beds for Kids is simple, straightforward, and has never changed: It’s to provide beds to children in the Seattle community who need them. It’s hard for most of us to imagine what it would be like to not have a bed to sleep in at night, but that is the unfortunate reality for too many of our young people. We think that beds are a basic human need, just like food and water, and we’re excited to support this effort to ensure that Seattle’s kids sleep in comfort.

Will you help us get there?

All money raised from the sale of these K9 stuffies supports the 2023 Beds for Kids project, which means that your dollars are invested straight into the Seattle community. Not sure which K9 replica you’d like to purchase? Visit our K9 webpage for photos and details about all SPD’s current dogs.

Help us take a bite out of our $65,000 fundraising goal by ordering your very own K9 stuffy today! To place your order, visit our K9 stuffy order form page.

We spent an afternoon down at MLB All-Star Week and were absolutely blown away by the professionalism, compassion, and dedication of the men and women of the Seattle Police Department.

It was extremely rewarding to look around and see the various ways SPF is able to bring contributions from our donors to life. Of course, it’s always fun to see SPD’s K9s, and the importance of Arson Bomb Squad (ABS) Explosive Detection K9s during a largescale event like MLB All-Star Week is easy to understand. K9 handler teams spend a significant amount of time performing searches (sweeps) of not only the event venue and parking areas, but also at additional locations throughout the city.

During these sweeps, ABS K9 teams check for explosives or other potential threats. We are so grateful for our canine-loving donors whose generosity ensures our ability to support SPD’s hard-working K9 Unit. Your support pays for dogs, equipment, training, and more.

We also spent some time at the Seattle Police Department’s command post and were thrilled to see the very tangible impacts of your donations at work.

While admittedly less flashy than dogs, things like the commercial grill, ice cream machine, and portable freezer contributed just as vitally to the mission of public safety, by keeping SPD officers fed and hydrated throughout their long shifts.

These mobile command posts are standard protocol for Equipment and Facilities Coordinators with the Quartermaster Unit, which deploys off-site during large-scale events to support the officers on duty.

These are truly the unsung heroes of SPD! Equipment and Facilities Coordinators were joined by SPD Stationmasters from various precincts, who all worked tirelessly to set up and tear down the command post, coordinate logistics, procure the needed supplies, cook the food, and much more.

We are grateful for all the generous donors whose support kept the men and women of the Seattle Police Department comfortable and fed during All-Star Week. 

See additional photos from All-Star Week on our Facebook page!

During our 2022 year-end grant cycle, we received a funding request from the Mounted Patrol Unit for six specialized feeders made by Porta-Grazer™, which are designed to allow the horse to graze slowly and continuously, in a natural, head-down position.

Porta-Grazer™ slow hay feeders are specifically made for horses who do not have access to open pasture or are housed in stalls, helping them to maintain a healthy diet while working to prevent digestive ailments.

In this particular case, City funding purchased a portion of the needed Porta-Grazers, but the overall need exceeded the available budget. This is where our grant program truly shines, by filling the gaps between what the City of Seattle can fund for the police department and what it cannot.

Thanks to our generous equine-loving donors for helping us fund this grant! The horses are enjoying the benefits of the Porta-Grazers on a daily basis. Thank you so much for helping make life better for the equine members of the Seattle Police Department!

In April we approved a grant proposal from SPD West Precinct Patrol Officer Oliver Murphy, which made it possible for him to attend a two-day course in Reno, Nevada, called Vehicle Close Quarter Battle (VCQB), hosted by Centrifuge Training, LLC.

VCQB takes a critical look at how law enforcement officers have historically protected themselves during violent events. The two-day curriculum is intense, dynamic, and entirely data-driven, custom built by Centrifuge and based on years of data collected from actual incidents. VCQB uses ballistics data to teach patrol officers better ways to stay safe in or near their patrol cars, and gives them the opportunity to practice and study firsthand how a variety of ammunition impacts a vehicular environment.

While an incredibly relevant and valuable training, SPD’s budget was not able to accommodate its cost, making this a perfect fit for SPF’s grants program. Our grants program intentionally seeks to support both employee development and law enforcement service enhancements, and this grant checked both boxes.

“Being given the opportunity by the Foundation to attend this training will not only greatly aid me as far as my safety is concerned, but will also make other Seattle Police Officers safer as I share this curriculum with my agency,” Murphy wrote. “I intend to compile the data that I took from this course, and share it with our agency in the hopes to re-shape our tactics so that future SPD officers can safely do their job if they are ever met with a deadly threat.”

This was such a great opportunity to spark positive change. We appreciate the way our supporters empower us to be nimble and quick to respond when there is a pressing need like this one, and we also appreciate proactive officers like Officer Murphy, and their devotion to public safety.

Learn more about our Grants Program on our website.

Blue Tie Ball is our largest fundraiser of the year and one of the most powerful, inspirational events that we host. The formal, gala-style event takes place September 30, 2023, and offers guests time to meet and learn about the work of SPD’s EMT Unit, SWAT, K9, and Mounted Patrol, plus includes displays, dinner, and a live auction featuring unique items and opportunities.

Guests are invited to capture the evening at this year’s DigiBooths selfie booth, which can create boomerang GIFs, single shot photos, and even video! The media is available instantly to selfie booth users to share via text, email, or social media.

If you would like information on how to support the 2023 Blue Tie Ball, please email us at: info@seattlepolicefoundation.org.