Kent Police records supervisor retires after 21 years

Published 1:36 pm Monday, June 15, 2026

Andrea Schluttenhofer received the Kent Police Chief’s Award for Devoted Service following her retirement after 21 years in the records division.

Schluttenhofer was hired in June 2005 and worked in all the specialist roles and assignments before her promotion to police records supervisor, according to a Kent Police Facebook post.

“Andrea’s impact on KPD has been significant,” Police Chief Rafael Padilla said. “She leaves behind a legacy of professionalism, competence, dedication, and service within our Records Unit. Her influence will continue to be felt through the many employees she trained, mentored, and supported throughout her career.”

Prior to coming to Kent, she was in the Air Force Reserves for 10 years. She was a radar technician on the F-4, then served as a flight engineer on the C-141B. Even though it was a reserve position, she was able to fly almost full time all over the world.

Schluttenhofer brought that military spirit of teamwork, fellowship, leadership, selflessness and comradely to Kent Police from the first day she arrived, according to Padilla.

“One of Andrea’s favorite responsibilities was serving as a trainer for new records specialists,” Padilla said. “She enjoyed the coaching, mentorship, and guidance that came with helping new employees develop and succeed. Andrea also served as a union shop steward for AFSCME, representing the interests of her co-workers.”

Padilla said that Schluttenhofer built a career defined by putting others before herself.

“There were numerous occasions when she changed shifts to cover staffing shortages or meet the needs of the Records Unit,” Padilla said. “She routinely worked last-minute overtime to support co-workers who needed time off. Andrea served as the only Records supervisor for approximately a year and had originally planned to retire two years ago. Instead, she chose to stay because she did not want to leave the department and her team without an experienced supervisor. These selfless acts are a testament to her character, dedication, and commitment to KPD.”

Schluttenhofer shared with Padilla what she enjoyed most about her job.

“She loved digging for information that could help officers with their investigations,” Padilla said. “She made it a habit to listen to the radio and proactively gather information she anticipated officers would need. Andrea took pride in finding the “needle in the haystack” and believed in providing proactive support rather than simply reacting to requests. She passed this customer-service mindset on to the people she trained and supervised.”

Padilla said Schluttenhofer had a few words of wisdom for fellow employees.

“Andrea encouraged people to make time to get to know those who work outside their own unit or division,” Padilla said. “She shared that building relationships with patrol officers, jail staff, detectives, and others across the department greatly enhanced her enjoyment of the job and sense of fulfillment.”