Drafter
Clerk 12/07/2012
Title
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the county executive to execute a contract agreement between King County and the city of Lake Forest Park for the assignment of an interim police chief; and declaring an emergency.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. The city of Lake Forest Park has a police department consisting of a chief of police, a civilian police administrator, eighteen commissioned officers, two records clerks and a support services officer.
B. The current police chief for Lake Forest Park has only recently announced that he is retiring at the end of 2012.
C. To ensure proper law enforcement administration and the required levels of officer supervision, the city of Lake Forest Park desires to contract with the King County sheriff's office for police chief services until such time as a permanent replacement is selected.
D. The sheriff's office has provided contract police chief services to other King County cities for more than three decades. This temporary partnership with the city of Lake Forest Park furthers the county's goal to collaborate with local jurisdictions in the provision of quality and cost effective police services.
E. The selected interim chief will function as do other contract police chiefs in current sheriff's office's partner cities. The chief will act as temporary head of the Lake Forest Park Police Department, and will report directly to the city mayor and city administrator.
F. The county has the resources to provide this service and has jurisdiction to enforce the law throughout the county and the attached agreement compensates the county for the services using the same methodology used in other city contracts.
G. Participation in the agreement will benefit of the citizens of the county, especially the residents of the city Lake Forest Park, and ensure that the city's police department continues to have a police chief to provide appropriate oversight of law enforcement services.
H. To meet the need to provide the required police supervision and oversight to the Lake Forest Park Police Department in a timely fashion and therefore, to avoid the risk to the public peace, health, and safety if these services are not available commencing January 3, 2013, it is necessary that this ordinance be enacted as an emergency ordinance.
SECTION 2. The county executive is hereby authorized to execute a contract agreement with the city of Lake Forest Park, in substantially the form of Attachment A to this ordinance, for the assignment of an interim police chief.
SECTION 3. The county council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency
exists and that this ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health or safety or the support of county government and its existing public institutions.