Police Department

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Cherie Harris, Chief of Police
425-587-3426
CHarris@kirklandwa.gov

Admin: Patti Ball
425-587-3408
PBall@kirklandwa.gov

Cherie Harris is the Chief of Police of the Kirkland Police Department with 159 personnel to include commissioned, non-commissioned, and a misdemeanor corrections facility with 72 beds. Cherie was promoted to Chief of Police in April 2016 after serving with the Department as a Captain since 2012. She previously held the position of Deputy Chief in the Monroe Police Department and has over 30 years of law enforcement experience.

Chief Harris is an Executive Board member of the Washington Sheriff and Police Chief Association (WASPC) as well as the Vice President of the Washington Chapter of the FBI National Academy Alumni Association. She serves as the co-chair of the WASPC Corrections Committee and is a member of the WASPC Accreditation Commission. She also represents the King County Sheriff and Chief’s Association as a voting member of the Emergency Management Committee of King County.

Cherie has a B.A. degree in Social Sciences, has attained Executive Level Certification through the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy #258, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar and the Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.

Serving and protecting the Kirkland community continues to be a tremendous privilege. She has great pride in her professional accomplishments and responsibilities. Cherie is most proud of being the mother of two phenomenal children.

Message From the Chief

The Kirkland Police Department is made up of honorable men and women of the highest caliber. They have chosen purpose-driven lives as police officers, corrections officers and support staff who work behind the scenes to make it all happen. I am in awe of the professionalism, teamwork and courage demonstrated throughout this organization on a daily basis.

Thank you for visiting the Department’s website that contains information on the programs and services that we provide to the Kirkland community.  The Police Department Strategic Planning Report outlines Department goals, many accomplished and some ongoing.  You are also encouraged to review the Community Resource Officer Dashboard , Police Transparency Dashboard and the Kirkland Police Use of Force Dashboard.

On behalf of the men and women of the Kirkland Police Department, it’s truly an honor to serve you. 

Cherie Harris
Chief of Police

Executive Division provides overall coordination of department activities, coordinates with other department and agencies, prepares and assists with budgets, provides administrative support to Command Staff and Department Divisions, and provides personnel and payroll support.

Operations Division consists of Patrol, Traffic, and K-9.  In addition to responding to 911 calls and proactively enforcing the law, this division is responsible for working with neighborhood groups, businesses, and other organizations to identify issues, build partnerships, and resolve mutual problems. 

Patrol Unit provides 24-hour-per-day service to the community and provides first-unit response for general calls for police service. 

Traffic Unit provides enforcement and education to reduce accidents and traffic congestion. The unit also coordinates and responds to community traffic complaint areas and investigates traffic collisions.  Parking Enforcement Officers are part of the Traffic Unit and serve to educate the community about parking issues and enforce parking laws.

Administrative Division consists of Corrections and Records and is also responsible for recruitment, hiring, evidence intake and storage, facility issues, fleet, scheduling, grant compliance, contracts, budget and liaison with NORCOM and other regional boards.

Corrections Unit operates the jail, monitors home detention, work release, and performs all prisoner transports to courts and other detention facilities.

Records Unit provides for the accurate flow and management of all record-keeping duties and provides front counter service during business for all walk-in customers of the Police Department.

Evidence Unit manages the intake, storage, security, release or disposal of all evidence, found property, and items held for safekeeping.

Professional Standards Division consists of Investigations, Family Violence, Special Response Team, Crisis Negotiations, and Training.  This division is also responsible for reviewing and updating the department general orders and standard operating procedures, accreditation, police review boards, internal investigations and risk management.

Investigation Unit is an extension to, and a support group for, the Patrol Unit and is staffed by detectives.  The main function of the division is to conduct follow-up investigations of all felony crimes and certain misdemeanor crimes.  This unit is also responsible for the registration, tracking and community notifications of registered sex offenders within the City of Kirkland.  One member of this unit is assigned to a regional electronic crimes task force with the FBI.

Pro-Act Unit focus is on illegal drugs, car prowls, burglaries, mail theft, shoplifting, and enforcing extreme risk protection orders and court-ordered gun forfeitures.

Crime Analyst is attached to the Investigation Unit and monitors crime trends, provides analytical support and publishes informational bulletins on wanted subjects and officer safety issues. 

Family Violence Unit (FVU) is attached to the Investigation Unit.  This unit is staffed by two detectives and a civilian Family/Youth Advocate.  The unit conducts follow-up investigation on domestic violence cases, Child Protective Service & Adult Protective Service referrals and conducts training on domestic violence issues.  In addition, they supervise the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART), which is a volunteer civilian program that provides support services to victims of domestic violence.

Training Unit is responsible for ensuring that all Department training is conducted in accordance with state mandates and ensuring the professional development of all Department members.

Community Services Unit Consists of the Neighborhood Resource Officers and the Community Resource Officers. The Neighborhood Resource Officers serve as a liaison between the community and the police department. The Community Resource Officers are committed to community policing through our local schools in partnership with the Lake Washington School District.

 Animal Services Unit includes an Animal Control Officer responsible for supporting Kirkland community members by returning lost pets, providing education and enforcement for domestic animal concerns and complaints.

Background

The Kirkland City Council engaged the services of BERK to conduct an organizational review of the Police Department. The City Council received the Kirkland Police Strategic Planning Report(PDF, 4MB) in September 2016. 

The Police Department has been working with department members and the City Manager's Office to implement certain recommendations through the budget process. 

The Police Department's actions priorities and the current status reports are contained in the Recommendation Matrix Update(XLSX, 58KB).