Constantine announces nominee for new King County sheriff

SEATTLE — King County Executive Dow Constantine has announced his nominee for the new King County sheriff.

Constantine’s pick is the current King County interim sheriff, Patti Cole-Tindall.

“I’d like to start by saying, I am not a traditional sheriff,” said Cole-Tindall. “While it’s true that I started my career in law enforcement 30 years ago, I’ve also had the opportunity to work in a variety of different roles, such as Director of Labor Relations for King County and also human resources and human relations, and I had the opportunity to be the director of King County’s Office of Law Enforcement oversight.”

Cole-Tindall joined the sheriff’s office in October 2015 and served as the chief of the technical services division for almost five years before being appointed to undersheriff in 2020.

She was appointed interim sheriff in November 2021 and started the job in January.

Constantine said 12 candidates submitted applications in the nationwide search, which began in November 2021.

Of those 12, seven candidates completed a first round of interviews, and three finalists were selected.

The two other finalists were Charles Kimble, chief of police in Killeen, Texas and Reginald Moorman, a major in the Atlanta Police Department.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to serve as the next King County Sheriff. I am looking forward to the future of not only the agency but also the community as we work collaboratively to co-create the public safety agency that meets the needs of the residents in King County,” said Cole-Tindall. “I, along with my leadership team, are committed to making the King County Sheriff’s Office a premier law enforcement agency and striving for continuous improvement.”

This is the first time a sheriff has been named under a 2020 charter amendment that moved the job from an elected position to an appointed one.

As part of that process, the Public Safety Advisory Committee developed recommendations for the characteristics of the next sheriff including:

• A strong background in law enforcement.
• Community leadership.
• Community partnerships.
• A reputation for integrity, honesty and transparency.
• The ability to inspire and motivate change.
• A commitment to equity, racial and social justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Cole-Tindall will still need to go through a confirmation process with the King County Council, which could be completed by the end of May.

If confirmed, she is expected to be in office this summer.

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