Menchie's Incident Report

(November 2019) Update on City Actions Since January 2019
Throughout 2019, the City took a number of steps to reinforce the commitment to being a safe, welcome and inclusive city.  The City contracted with Dr. Bryant Marks, founder and Chief Training Officer of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity to provide bias training to Kirkland Police officers. This training was in addition to the standard training that officers receive. 

The City also provided City employees and the City Council diversity and bias training from Chanin Kelly-Rae, a local trainer with extensive experience working with municipalities and companies across the country.

The City completed an extensive outreach effort to gather input on the community’s expectations of community policing. This effort included surveys, several focus groups and opportunities for community members to share their hopes and concerns directly with myself and Police Chief Harris.  

The City is continuing to partner with Leadership Eastside to facilitate the Welcoming Kirkland Initiative, which is a critical community dialogues with Kirkland residents and businesses around issues of race and equity in Kirkland.

In October, the City launched a webpage dedicated to providing local businesses with resources on how they can provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment in their place of business.


(January 2019)
 Kirkland Police Chief Cherie Harris has issued a final incident report for the Totem Lake Menchie’s incident that occurred on November 7.

The report finds that the officers that responded to the 911 call did not act out of bias or violate internal protocols or policies. However, the incident demonstrated a need for the department to review practices and create a new protocol for handling “unwanted person” calls. 

On the evening of November 16, 2018, the City of Kirkland was made aware that the police response to a 911 call placed earlier in the month from the owner of a Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt shop had left Mr. Byron Ragland feeling like he had been asked to leave the store based on his race. Chief Harris launched an investigation of the incident the following morning. On Monday, November 19, Police Chief Harris and City Manager Kurt Triplett issued a joint statement extending their sincerest apologies to Mr. Ragland for being made to feel unwelcome in Kirkland. The apology reflected that the initial assessment of the interaction showed it did not meet the expectations of the Kirkland community or the high standards held by the City and the Kirkland Police Department.  

The final Menchie’s incident report resulting from the investigation launched by Chief Harris was made available to the public on January 11, 2019. The report includes the following findings:

  • The officers missed the opportunity to mediate between the employees and Mr. Ragland by failing to initially determine Mr. Ragland’s purpose in the store, and as a result Mr. Ragland left Menchie’s feeling he had been asked to leave based on his race.  That is not an acceptable outcome.  
  • The officers did not violate any of the department’s protocols or policies or act out of racial bias.  The officers that responded handled the call in a manner that was consistent with departmental norms and practices for this type of “unwanted persons” call.  
  • This incident showed that the practice for responding to “unwanted person” calls was inadequate, and that a new formal protocol needed to be drafted and adopted. On November 27, Police Command staff issued official guidance to the Department regarding the new protocol and practices for “unwanted person” calls, and the results have already been encouraging. Officers of the Kirkland Police Department exercise their best judgment and discretion when responding to all calls and situations. In instances like the one that occurred at Menchie’s, officers are now asked to always make efforts to determine the facts of a situation before they initiate any actions to remove an individual from a premises, and to make efforts to overcome misunderstandings whenever possible. 
  • All City departments, including the Kirkland Police Department, will receive additional implicit bias training. Additionally, the Kirkland Police Department will continue to refine and improve its protocols based on national best practices and officer feedback.  

“The Kirkland Police Department is committed to being the best police department in the country,” said Chief Harris. “When we fall short of our own expectations, we acknowledge it and work quickly to learn and improve.” 

The new protocol implemented by the Kirkland Police Department reinforces that officers should mediate between business owners and a person being asked to leave, and includes guidance such as:

  • Find out if the owner/employee has asked the person to leave.
  • Encourage owners/employees to communicate, either in-person or through signage, why the unwanted person is being asked to leave.
  • In cases where this does not work, officers should attempt to mediate the conversation and determine if there is a valid reason for this person to be asked to leave.  

“We’re already finding that the new protocol is having positive results for our officers’ interactions,” said Chief Harris. “We believe that by improving our systems we can significantly reduce the possibility that misunderstandings, such as the one that occurred at Menchie’s, occur again.”

In addition to the findings of the report and the changes being implemented by the Kirkland Police Department, the City is in the process of providing cultural awareness and racial bias training to all City staff. The Kirkland City Council has volunteered to participate in this training. Additionally, City staff plan to continue conversations with community members around issues of race and equity in Kirkland. The City will be partnering with James Whitfield and Leadership Eastside to facilitate this critical dialogue with Kirkland residents and businesses.  The additional City actions are outlined in the “City Manager Letter to the Community(PDF, 91KB) ” that accompanies Chief Harris’ report.  

“We know that to be the safe, welcoming and inclusive city that we strive for, we must take a leadership role on conversations around difficult issues such as racial bias,” said City Manager Kurt Triplett. “Over the coming months we will continue these community conversations while we also take actions to prevent implicit bias from becoming a factor when providing all City services.” 

The full set text of the final report, including statements and video used in developing the report's findings, can be found in the supporting documents and links below.

MEDIA CONTACT - David Wolbrecht
Communications Program Manager
Phone: 425-587-3011
Email: dwolbrecht@kirklandwa.gov