West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(L-R, Jason McKissack, Lt. Ron Smith, Capt. Joe Kessler, Dep. Chief Nick Metz, Asst. Chief Mike Sanford)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Twenty-two months after we all first learned of the attack on Southwest Precinct Officer Jason McKissack – the attack that cost him his career but spurred passage of a new state law – his long road to recovery paused for celebration: More than 70 people, mostly former Seattle Police Department colleagues, crowded into the precinct community room for a retirement party tonight.
Before and after SPD leaders including precinct commander Captain Joe Kessler, Deputy Chief Nick Metz and Assistant Chief Mike Sanford took to the podium, law enforcers in and out of uniform mingled, applauded, and honored McKissack’s achievements.
Those achievements included fighting for the passage of legislation that was described as his legacy – the legislation we went to Olympia twice this year to cover, then to Lakewood to watch the governor sign: HB 1679 will make sure no catastrophically injured public-safety worker ever faces what he faced, the potential loss of medical benefits.
The tributes, his words, and the retirement gifts he received tonight are part of the story ahead, along with a look back:
(L-R, Lt. Norm James, WSCPC president Dot Beard, secretary Betty Wiberg, VP Richard Miller)
There was so (relatively) little crime to talk about at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, it didn’t even last an hour. In his meeting-opening update, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Norm James began, “Everything’s been reasonably quiet.” And he said that is particularly good news for one neighborhood, Highland Park, where burglaries have “dropped off the charts” – recent arrests seem to have ended the latest series (described in this April 1st report). More of his toplines on current West Seattle crime trends, plus a surprise presentation at the meeting, and more, ahead:Read More
Last year, when nerves were on edge along Alki following the May 1st shooting, West Seattle police leaders from the Southwest Precinct were at the next Alki Community Council meeting to brief the community (WSB coverage here). This year, in a pre-emptive strike, they came to the ACC last night to share updates on their work as well as spring/summer plans – coincidentally, on a night with weather so nice, the beach was still busy after the meeting, and we spotted three SPD cars in one block. At the ACC, Capt. Joe Kessler (photo left), Lt. Norm James (not pictured) and Sgt. Joel Sweetland (photo right) spent close to an hour on updates and Q/A:Read More
ORIGINAL 7:40 AM REPORT: A police investigation is under way in The Junction right now, and the north sidewalk on SW Alaska is cordoned off in the block between California SW and 44th. Det. Mark Jamieson in the SPD media unit confirms that they’re investigating a “deceased male” but says “it’s way too soon to tell if (he died) from natural or other causes.” He says the call came in from the Fire Department at 5:50 am; the 911 log shows an aid call to that area at 5:42 am. At the scene, what appears to be a covered body is visible just west of the bus waiting area between Easy Street and Twilight (behind the police car in our photo – we don’t show bodies, covered or not). Officers at the scene would say only that they were awaiting the Medical Examiner‘s arrival. The investigation has put a bus waiting area off limits, so riders are being directed to the next northbound stop along 44th. We’ll be checking with authorities later to find out whether this turns out to have been natural causes, or not. Thanks to those who e-mailed/called/texted about this; the first note was from Jonathon, who wrote, “When I arrived at my bus stop in the Junction around 5:45 this morning, a fire truck was just pulling up. A gentleman on a bicycle had called 911 out of concern for someone laying face-down in the alcove of the art collective. The cyclist had shaken the man but was unable to elicit a response. The firefighters also shook him and checked for a pulse; I couldn’t tell from where I was standing what they concluded, but the man certainly wasn’t moving.”
8:11 AM UPDATE: The body’s been removed and so has the police tape, so the bus area is open again. 8:42 AM NOTE: We checked back with Det. Jamieson, who notes that homicide detectives were not called out, so while an official cause of death isn’t in yet, that indicates no obvious sign of foul play. We will continue checking.
(photo by Tyler, substituted at 6:47 pm for our original cameraphone photo)
In case you saw the big police response right at Walk All Ways in The Junction a little while ago – we’ve gotten a couple inquiries – here’s what police say happened: Someone “inebriated” randomly decided to lash out at one or more innocent bystanders. The “inebriated” person was subdued, and arrested. Police told us everybody’s otherwise OK. 7:39 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Lachlan for pointing us, in the comment section, to this tweet from Easy Street‘s owner, saying the suspect was kicking a dog. FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: After a commenter wrote that someone else was arrested at the scene, we checked with the Southwest Precinct to see if any more information was available today about the circumstances. Lt. Norm James‘ summary:
Call came in about 5:45 regarding an intoxicated male pushing people at California and Alaska. Turns out an intoxicated male confronted two male victims then kicked a dog that was passing by. The intoxicated male pushed one of the two victims and chest bumped the other. Both victims were fearful of the intoxicated suspect. Officers arrived and took the suspect into custody and placed him in the back of the patrol car. The suspect began trying to kick out the windows of the patrol car and subsequently there was a taser application on the suspect to control him. The fire department aid was called to extract the taser barbs (which is standard procedure). The suspect was then booked into KC Jail.
We are at Lakewood Police HQ in Pierce County – home of the force that lost four officers in one murderous attack last fall, four of six officers around the region murdered in the line of duty within just a few months (including Seattle Police Officer and West Seattle High School graduate Timothy Brenton). Governor Gregoire is here to sign 19 bills into law, many of them closing loopholes that may have factored into some of last fall’s killings – but one of them, signed minutes ago, is the “Jason McKissack Bill,” renamed for the former West Seattle police officer viciously attacked while on duty in summer 2008. As the governor signed that bill, Jason and wife Kim were at the governor’s side – see the photo above, in which she was looking up at Jason, who is behind Kim (in pink). The bill makes sure that catastrophically injured public-safety personnel unable to return to work are no longer in danger of losing medical benefits for themselves and their families, as was the case here, and law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher has said it will retroactively cover the McKissacks. They met privately with the governor before the signings began, as did families of fallen officers; more than 200 people crowded into the room, and emotions ran high. The signing of the bill, HB 1679, was the end of a difficult political process as well as a victory in the McKissacks’ fight to help Jason recover; at one point this session, the bill appeared in danger of stalling, but support from the public, local law enforcers, their advocates, and local legislators helped get it through. We will add video when we’re back at HQ; you’ll see coverage of this overall event on TV tonight too, as all the local stations were here. ADDED 6:53 PM: Video of the actual signing – preceded by some of the shuffle that took place in the moment beforehand:
With so much support having come from West Seattle, we thought you’d like to know that the official signing ceremony for HB 1679 – the “Jason McKissack Act” – is now set. Law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher sent word that it will be one of more than a dozen public-safety-related bills that Governor Gregoire will sign at Lakewood (Pierce County) Police HQ starting at 3 pm Wednesday. A version of the bill stalled in the Legislature last year, but this year, it was renamed for, and supported by, the former West Seattle police officer who was seriously injured in an attack while on duty in June 2008 but lost his (and his family’s) health coverage when the city ended his employment. He testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in January (WSB video coverage here), as did his wife Kim McKissack, who then testified again when the bill was heard in the same Senate committee four weeks later (here’s our story). We are told the bill’s provisions will cover the McKissack family, as well as a Seattle firefighter critically injured on the job several years ago.
Two days after the State Senate passed it, the State House has unanimously “concurred” on changes the Senate made, and so the “Jason McKissack Act” – guaranteeing health benefits for catastrophically injured public-safety personnel like the former West Seattle officer – now goes to the governor. (That tip – and lots of previous info on this story – came from law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher, profiled in this Seattle Times [WSB citywide-news partners] story today).
(Thursday night photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Two updates from Lt. Norm James at the Southwest Precinct – first, one followup on last night’s crash on Delridge barely a block south of the precinct: Lt. James says the officer who was hurt is “doing fine” and got out of the hospital within hours of being taken there. (Investigation results will take a while, since the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad was called out, which is why Delridge was closed for so long.) Second – a new overview on West Seattle crime trends, from the report Lt. James gave to this week’s Precinct Advisory Council meeting:
So far this year we’re seeing crime trends down in virtually every category, some very significantly. Examples would be car prowls December 2009 and February 2010 tied for the lowest in a year and a half; residential burglaries Feb 2010 were the lowest in over a year. It’s very encouraging, and we continually thank the residents of West Seattle for their efforts in assisting us in this.
Explains why things have been a little quieter on the Crime Watch page lately.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 7:38 pm – police car on sidewalk is the one involved in collision)
ORIGINAL 6:13 PM REPORT: There’s a crash at Delridge/Holden and traffic is affected at least as far as Thistle on the south side. SeattleCrime reports that an officer may be involved. (Holden/Delridge is just a block south of the Southwest Precinct.) 6:46 PM UPDATE: There will be traffic trouble at that spot for quite some time, as the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is being brought in. We have no information yet on the officer’s condition. 7:06 PM UPDATE: Christopher Boffoli is at the scene for WSB and has just talked to Lt. Ron Rasmussen, who says the officer’s injuries are minor – he was taken to Harborview Medical Center just for observation. There were “multiple” occupants in the other car – which Christopher says is in worse shape than the police car – we don’t know how they’re doing. Delridge remains closed from Orchard until at least Kenyon. The investigation, obviously, is just starting, but we’re told it appears the officer was heading east on Holden and collided with the car on Delridge.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 7:39 pm)
7:31 PM: SPD Blotter has now posted more details about the crash:
On March 4th at approximately 5:38 p.m. an on-duty officer in a marked police car was involved in a collision with another driver near the intersection of Delridge Way SW and SW Holden Street. There were two occupants in the other involved car (driver and passenger). The officer was the only occupant of his patrol car. All involved parties were transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.
10:17 PM: As of a few minutes ago, Delridge was still closed at Thistle – haven’t checked the northern side of the investigation zone yet. 11:39 PM: The road’s now open again, according to 2 reports in comments (THANKS!).
More than a year and a half after the West Seattle attack that left then-Officer Jason McKissack with brain damage that has kept him from returning to work – and weeks after the city ended his employment because he cannot return – the State Senate has just passed a bill that will keep catastrophically injured public-safety personnel like him from going without medical coverage. (46 senators including West Seattle’s Sen. Joe McDermott voted for it – no one against it – there were 3 abstention/absences.) If you’ve been following along with us, it was no slam dunk – a version of the bill stalled in the State Senate last year; this year, public-safety advocates lobbied hard for it – Jason McKissack and his wife Kim both testified before committees in Olympia — and lots of public support ensued. Next step (3:32 pm update, thanks to legislative expert Gary Gardner) – we’re told it has to go back to the State House for them to sign off on an amendment that the Senate had made. So one more hurdle to clear. 4:41 PM UPDATE: Advocate Renee Maher says in the comments that this would be retroactive both for the McKissacks and also for a Seattle firefighter who suffered a catastrophic injury on the job 7 years ago. We asked her for formal comment – first, her reaction:
This is a day to celebrate! No longer can we say that officers and firefighters are better off dead for the sake of their families. Today is one of those days that you reflect upon for a long, long time. Every single person who called their legislators or wrote an email on behalf of this bill, you should know that you deserve to celebrate this day as well. A very big thank you goes out to the West Seattle Blog. Please hold your head high and know that your coverage was a huge part of this effort! If ever there was a perfect example of a community coming together to support our heroes, this was it!
She also explains how the bill applies:
The bill creates a new section in the enumerated benefits given to catastrophically disabled officers and firefighters. It will apply to EVERYONE in the Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Plan (LEOFF) 2 pension system (which includes all officers/firefighters hired after October 1977 to present) and the Washington State Patrol (WSP is in a different pension system). In other words, anyone who currently qualifies as catastrophically disabled, no matter when the disability occurred, will now start receiving this benefit. That includes Jason McKissack. Mark Jones, a Seattle Firefighter who was catastrophically disabled in Dec 2003, will also be covered by this legislation.
We’ll keep an eye on the House’s concurrence calendar, and we are already on the governor’s press-info list, so we’ll have the information on where and when a signing would happen, once it’s announced. (Signings aren’t always in Olympia – last year we covered the governor’s signing ceremony for the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Tunnel bill, held at the Seattle Aquarium, with a slew of other, unrelated bills signed afterward.) ADDED 5:13 PM: An official news release from the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild – read on:Read More
If you’re tracking something in the State Legislature, we’ve discovered while covering the progress of EHB 1679 – now the “Jason McKissack Act” – its website has a multitude of ways to follow along. One such way: The calendar. And for those following along with this bill’s hard-fought progress, we see it’s on today’s calendar for a full State Senate vote – choose Regular Calendar, scroll way down, and you’ll see it. According to another feature of that page – Senate Display Board (showing what they’re up to now) – they’re currently “at ease.” (Just coming in on this story? There’s background in yesterday’s report.)
The “Jason McKissack Act” is EHB 1679, the bill we’ve been following closely, to keep catastrophically injured public-safety personnel from losing health coverage because they can’t work, renamed in honor of the now-former SPD officer attacked in 2008 while on duty in West Seattle. The bill, which stalled in the Legislature last year, already has won full House approval and, after an outpouring of public support, made it out of Senate Ways and Means earlier this week – now, we just got word from law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher that the Senate Rules Committee has sent it on to the floor. Just last night, Jason’s wife Kim McKissack posted a public “thank you” as a comment on an earlier WSB story – read it here.
From left, that’s Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler with Michael LaFranchi and West Niver from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, as Kiwanians honored Capt. Kessler and his team as “Everyday Heroes.” The presentation at the precinct this past hour included not just a certificate, but also carrot cake – luckily things were fairly quiet, so some of the precinct leadership and officers were able to take a quick break for the occasion, right after second watch roll-call. (video added 12:35 pm)
Past Kiwanis honorees, as noted in the video, have included West Seattle’s firefighters; West Seattle Kiwanis meets three times a month at Be’s Restaurant in The Junction – 7 am breakfast meetings the 1st and 3rd Wednesday, noon the 2nd Wednesday – and presents special events, like the Charity Motorcycle Run and Car Show coming up May 15 – read all about it here.
This time yesterday, we were still gathering reaction to news that the State Senate’s Ways and Means Committee took an action some advocates had feared they wouldn’t – voting EHB 1679, now known as the “Jason McKissack Act” after the former West Seattle police officer, out of their committee. (This is the bill to keep catastrophically injured public-safety personnel like McKissack, who suffered brain damage from being attacked while on duty, from losing health coverage because they can’t work.) The W/M Committee’s recommendation was that Rules Committee members, who have it now, “do pass” the bill – and they have to, this week, in order for it to get to the floor for a full Senate vote. West Seattle’s Sen. Joe McDermott says he’ll work to get it out of Rules. For some more legislative context, we heard from Arbor Heights resident Gary Gardner of GRG Government Relations. He explains that while the Ways and Means Committee had to approve the bill because of its potential costs, the Rules Committee is a filter of whether to let the bill get to the floor. (More explanation here.) Gardner says the best way to express interest in getting a bill moved out of Rules is to let the leader of the appropriate house – in this case, the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Lisa Brown – know that you want to see this bill come up for a vote. Here’s her contact information (she also is on the Rules Committee, whose membership is listed here). He says this Friday is the deadline for this bill to clear its next hurdle, as the cutoff for advancing bills that originated in the other house (as did this one). ADDED 11:45 PM: Jason McKissack’s wife Kim, who testified twice in Olympia as the bill has progressed, left this message in comments on Monday’s story:
I am injured officer, Jason McKissack’s wife. I just want to thank the West Seattle Blog for staying on top of this for the past (almost) 2 years. I wish I could thank everyone in person, but I don’t think I’d make it thru all my tears of gratitude. I did give a big thank you to WSB last night on Q13, but they edited it out :( But did, thankfully, kept in my thanks to Ms. Margarita Prentice. This sure has been a ride I didn’t expect to take – but thankfully, I’ve met many wonderful people and did learn a lesson about how important our voices are. We were in the right place, at the right time, with the right message. Renee Maher, could not have done it without you and will always be grateful. So far so good. Hope to have the best news EVER really soon! Thank you all! The McKissack Family
ORIGINAL 1:26 PM REPORT, WHEN WE GOT WORD THE BILL *WOULD* BE VOTED ON TODAY: Just got that word from Sen. Joe McDermott and law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher – it’s now on the list for the Ways/Means Committee meeting that’s about to start. 2:53 PM UPDATE: The meeting is live on TVW – we’re watching online here. Looks like they are still in public hearings; the votes, described on the agenda (see it here) as “executive session,” generally come up afterward (the public hearing on this bill was held last Monday – we went to Olympia to cover it; here’s our story). As of a moment ago, they took a break to go into “caucuses” prior to those votes, but the live broadcast should resume soon. 4:18 PM: The live broadcast just resumed. 1679 is the next bill. 4:24 PM: Senate Ways and Means voted for it unanimously. It goes to the Rules Committee with a “do pass” recommendation. We’re checking on what exactly that means – and what happens next, as well as whether further expressions of support are still needed – look for an update. 4:48 PM: Sen. McDermott tells WSB he will keep working to move the bill ahead – getting out of Rules is apparently not a slam dunk; the bill’s history says that’s where it stalled last year.
One day after our first report that public-safety advocates were pleading for support to keep EHB 1679, the “Jason McKissack Act” – whose namesake suffered brain damage in an attack while on the job as a police officer in West Seattle – here’s where things stand: Tomorrow remains the deadline for bills to get out of the Ways and Means Committee, or be dead for the year. Law-enforcement lobbyist and police widow Renee Maher, who sounded the alarm last night, is among those working around the clock – she tells WSB, “The idea of losing this bill breaks my heart in more ways than words can describe.” She testified at public hearings before both houses’ Ways and Means Committees (we went to Olympia to cover both – here’s our report from last Monday). Maher reiterates that keeping up the pressure is vital – Senator Margarita Prentice, Ways and Means chair, will make the decision on whether there’s a vote; she also recommends contacting Sen. Lisa Brown, Senate Majority Leader, because “it’s important that she knows how much this issue means to the community.” West Seattle’s State Senator Joe McDermott is on the committee as well, and commented following yesterday’s story, ” I have spoken to Senator Prentice … and Senator Brown … reminding them again of the compelling testimony we heard at the hearing and underscoring the need to move the bill out of committee. … Continued positive encouragement is always welcome in a legislative environment.”
Contact info:
Sen. Margarita Prentice (360) 786-7616 prentice.margarita@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Lisa Brown (360) 786-7604 Brown.Lisa@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Joe McDermott (360) 786-7667 mcdermott.joe@leg.wa.gov
Full membership of Ways and Means (with phone numbers – follow links to their home pages for e-mail addresses)
The committee meets at 1:30 pm tomorrow, and its agenda is apparently still a work in progress – its latest version is online here.
ORIGINAL 1:55 PM REPORT: We have been following the progress in the Legislature of EHB 1679, the bill that is meant to fix the situation that has left catastrophically injured public-safety personnel and their families without health coverage if they cannot return to work. First, it was heard in the state House Ways and Means Committee (WSB coverage here), and passed the House unanimously; then last Monday, it was heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee (WSB coverage here). But that committee has to bring it up for a vote to get it to the floor – and Renee Maher, law-enforcement advocate/lobbyist and an officer’s widow, e-mailed us today to say EHB 1679 is in danger of NOT coming up for a vote in Senate Ways and Means. The Senate is also where a version of this bill died last year – before the well-publicized case of Jason McKissack, who was on duty as a West Seattle-based Seattle Police officer, trying to break up a fight a year and a half ago, when he was kicked in the face repeatedly and suffered brain damage. He is unable to return to work and received a letter from the city last month saying his employment was ended; he and his wife testified in the House hearing, but he was not well enough to attend last Monday’s Senate hearing. From Renee Maher:
Somehow EHB 1679 – the Jason McKissack Act – has slipped through the cracks in the Senate Ways and Means committee. We need to get the word out to people to ask them to contact Senate Ways and Means Chair Margarita Prentice, 360-786-7616, and ask her to vote EHB 1679 out of the committee. The deadline is Monday!
The full list of Ways and Means members – with each name linking to the senator’s site and contact info – is here. Among them, West Seattle’s 34th District State Senator Joe McDermott, who had said he’d do everything he could to move this bill this year; we have messages out to him – the committee is in session again today, though this bill is not on its published agenda.
ADDED 4:14 PM: The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild has sent a news release with an open plea to the public to help rescue this bill.
The Seattle Police Officers Guild and the Council of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs need the public’s assistance. Engrossed House Bill 1679, also known as the “Jason McKissack Act”, which would provide health insurance to Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters who are catastrophically injured in the line of duty faces the possibility of not passing. This bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously on February 3, 2010. On February 22, 2006, testimony regarding the bill was heard in front of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Officer McKissack’s wife Kim testified along with the President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, the President of COMPAS and the Executive Director of COMPAS, stating the importance of this bill, and how the state needs to take care of their law enforcement officers and firefighters, should they ever become catastrophically injured in the line of duty.
If this bill is not voted out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee by THIS Monday, March 1, 2010, the bill will die. Currently the bill IS NOT SET to be voted on, on Monday.
The news release continues after the jump:Read More
(Photo added 5:20 pm – those here for previous bills have left, public safety folks now seated for 1679)
3:47 PM, ORIGINAL NOTE: We are in Olympia for the State Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing that will include EHB 1679, to remedy the situation that has left former SPD Officer Jason McKissack and his family losing health coverage because a 2008 attack in West Seattle left him unable to work. Public testimony is expected. The state House already passed the bill, but the Senate is where it stalled last year.
4:43 PM: 1679 hasn’t come up yet – 6851, the Clean Water bill, was up first … 39 witnesses. (Added 5:25 pm – among them, speaking in the photo above, West Seattle resident Martha Kongsgaard, on behalf of the Puget Sound Partnership, one of the supporters.) It was preceded by testimony on a few others including one that Sen. Joe McDermott (who is on this committee and here at the hearing) tells us can affect financing for the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency and Fauntleroy Schoolhouse’s future.
5:27 PM: 1679 is up. Looks like they are running out of time and may not have any public testimony – Sen. McDermott tells us a Senate floor session is coming up at 5:45 to take up amendments to the bill that suspends I-960, a hot topic at the Town Hall in West Seattle last Saturday. The legislative staffer who is speaking about 1679 now says it would cost the state about $800,000.
5:48 PM: The committee meeting is adjourned. They did wind up hearing very quickly from six people – including Jason McKissack’s wife Kim McKissack, and two Seattle Police Guild leaders, Sgts. Rich O’Neill and Ty Elster. Sgt. Elster read a statement from Jason, who did not feel well enough to be here. Next up – this committee will decide whether to advance the bill to the full Senate.
9:31 PM: Adding video — first, Kim McKissack and Renee Maher, the law-enforcement advocate who is also the widow of Federal Way Officer Patrick Maher, killed in the line of duty in 2003:
And the Seattle Police Guild leaders who spoke before them – Sgt. O’Neill is first, with the “help the officer” message he also gave the House Ways and Means Committee; Sgt. Elster, second.
No one signed up to testify against 1679. If you want to contact Ways and Means members about the bill, their names and contact info can be found here.
More than two weeks have passed since the State House of Representatives approved SHB 1679, known as the Jason McKissack Bill, after the now-former Seattle Police officer who has been unable to work since a vicious attack while on the job in West Seattle a year and a half ago, and is losing insurance coverage as a result. We just got word from law-enforcement advocate Renee Maher that they’re hoping for another show of support – like the one that turned out for the bill’s first major hearing on January 25 (photo right) – when the bill gets a public hearing next Monday in the State Senate Ways and Means Committee. She says the hearing’s set for 3:30 pm Monday, Room 4 in the Cherberg Building, and: “We’d love to have everyone down there supporting Jason and his family!” (The Senate is where last year’s version of this bill stalled, so support there could be even more important than the support showed while it was going through the House. It’s one of the topics likely to come up when 34th District legislators – State Sen. Joe McDermott and State Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson – hold a Town Hall at High Point Community Center tomorrow, Saturday 2/20, 11 am.)
Just before 11 this morning, we sent this out in our “Announcements” stream as well as Facebook and Twitter, right after SPDBlotter announced it. But in case you hadn’t seen it any of those ways, we want to be sure you see it here on the home page, too: 
CrossFit West Seattle (42nd/Admiral) will be hosting a Hero Memorial Workout” on Sunday, in honor of SPD Officer Tim Brenton, the West Seattle High School graduate murdered in the line of duty last Halloween night. CFWS’s Eric Renn says this is “a CrossFit tradition when one of our members or their family members dies in the line of duty). … Unfortunately, the officer that died (Tim Brenton) was the brother of two of our dedicated gym members. We have created a workout that will be held in his honor which was requested by his family.” It’s a fundraiser for the Behind the Badge Foundation, according to SPDBlotter, $20/person if you want to join the workout (and that’ll get you a memorial T-shirt as well), spectators/well-wishers are welcome too! 3 pm Sunday, CrossFit West Seattle.
The city has just added a few new facets to the search for the next Seattle Police chief – including three public forums (none in West Seattle), a new website (here), and the chance for you to answer four key questions from the mayor, online or by phone if you can’t make the forums – read on for the official announcement:Read More
That’s the word from West Seattle Rep. Eileen Cody. While we went to Olympia for last week’s public hearing on the bill, EHB 1679, which would prevent catastrophically injured public-safety personnel like former Southwest Precinct SPD Officer Jason McKissack from losing health benefits, we weren’t able to go to today’s vote, but Rep. Cody sent word on the results. Next stop: The State Senate. Last year it made it through the House but stalled in the Senate; if you want to express your opinion, State Sen. Joe McDermott represents our area; his contact info is here. ADDED 5:27 PM: The Seattle Police Guild has just sent a news release with more info – read on to see it:Read More
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