King County's PR Campaign in Burien Escalates as Court Date Draws Near

King County and Burien's battle over "constitutionality" of Burien's camping ordinance is reaching a fevered pitch. May 6th at 5:30pm: Community Meeting, sponsored by King County just ahead of the Burien Council Meeting.

by Katie Kresly.Over the weekend, King County doubled down in their bid for public awareness of what they are doing to help Burien with their problems. They announced they are hosting a "community meeting" with a panel of critical stakeholders - except for Burien City Elected leaders. (related article here)Additionally, here is a copy of a letter signed by Burien police officers and addressed to the Burien City Council, expressing a "vote of no confidence in City Manager Adolfo Bailon and Mayor Kevin Schilling." (related article here)In the letter, officers claim that “there have been significant drops in crime.” However, according to most Burien residents and business owners, this is not consistent with their "lived experience" in Burien. Here is the letter:

Esteemed councilmen and women:

We, the officers of Burien Police Department, write to you today to express our extreme disappointment with the recent decision of the city to request removal of Ted Boe as the Chief of Burien PD.

Ted has been our chief for the majority of the last decade and has done nothing but improve this worksite for your city. In addition to significant drops in crime and increase in proactive activity, Ted has put Burien on the map as the premier agency for mental health alternatives to police interaction with our neighbors in crisis. He has motivated and developed officers in this city to the extent that, prior to this decision, Burien had the highest ratio of officers attempting to get into your contract than leave it countywide.

This action will result in the immediate transfer for request of countless years of experience from the city to more supportive organizations within our county. On top of this, nobody but the least senior deputies and sergeants will be forced to work in a place that does not support constitutional policing by their officers, which historically results in lower proactive policing and higher crime.

For all of these reasons, this letter serves as an express vote of no confidence in City Manager Adolfo Bailon and Mayor Kevin Schilling.

In the meantime, we will continue to pour our hearts and efforts into serving the citizens of Burien as long as we are still assigned here. Thank you to the rest of the community we serve for your continued support of our public safety efforts.

- (signed by Burien Police Officers)

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Letter from Burien Police Officers to Burien City Council (5/4/24)[/caption]King County is hosting a "Community Information Meeting" on Monday, May 6 at 5:30pm, focused on "public safety in the City of Burien." It is slated immediately ahead of the scheduled Burien City Council meeting - which opens to the public at 6:50pm on May 6 at City Hall.

Meeting Location and Information from the Flyer:

• TITLE: Community Information Meeting
• DATE: May 6, 2024
• TIME: 5:30pm – 6:50pm
• LOCATION: Highline Performing Arts Center – Highline High School
• TOPIC: “Please join to learn about how the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Burien Police Dept are partnering to support public safety in the City of Burien.”
• PANELISTS: Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, Chief Ted Boe, Susan Kroll (Mental Health Co-Responder), Lisa Daugaard (Purpose, Dignity, Action), Aaron Burkhalter (LEAD)

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KC Community Information Meeting flyer for event dated 5/6/24 (provided by Chief Ted Boe)[/caption]