Kent mayor emphasizes police support during State of the City address

Kent Mayor Dana Ralph proudly displayed her support for the Kent Police Department during her State of the City address.

“We love our police department,” Ralph said after a short video about the force during her speech March 10 at the Kent-Meridian High School Performing Arts Center. “They do such an amazing job of keeping our community safe.”

Ralph then emphasized that public safety remains a top priority for her as she continues her fifth year as mayor after voters elected her in November 2021 to a second four-year term.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in the city that they live in,” Ralph said. “I am committed to prioritizing public safety and reducing crime while also building trust and ensuring that we serve our community with compassion.”

Ralph said she knows crime has increased in Kent and the region.

“I want to be clear we remain committed to holding those that seek to harm our community accountable,” she said. “That has to be something we do everyday.”

Ralph thanked local legislators for their help in changing some of the police reforms adopted last year that the mayor and Police Chief Rafael Padilla said had hampered what officers could do.

“It made their job nearly impossible,” Ralph said about laws that limited officers abilities to detain someone and their use of less lethal force such as bean bag launchers.

Ralph also supported changes that would have allowed more police pursuits, but Senate Democrats killed that bill late on the final night, March 10 of the 2022 session, and after the mayor’s speech.

Family members of people killed by police argued for the changes in the pursuit law last year and against making any changes this legislative session. They said the changes proposed would result in an increase in violent interactions.

Ralph and Padilla were among the mayors and police chiefs who said the 2021 law impeded the ability of officers to engage in pursuits to protect public safety.

The mayor said during her address that it is important for officers to build relationships with residents. She said a new program that has recently hired officers work with community-based organizations prior to patrolling the streets helps with that goal.

“They are getting to know the community they serve,” she said.

The 2022 city budget included $942,230 for a co-responder program where a police officer and a mental health worker will respond to certain 911 calls.

“We want to focus on compassion with accountability,” Ralph said.

The mayor said Kent has hired 17 new officers since November 2021, although 20 positions remained unfilled on the 165-member force.

“Once they are out (on the streets) it’ll be shorter response times for you,” the mayor said.

Ralph stressed the efforts she and the City Council took last year to boost the police department hirings as the city competes against other towns for officers.

“We took no money away from public safety,” she said. “We made our officers among the highest paid in the state. That assures that Kent remains competitive.”

Kent officers received a 16% pay increase starting Oct. 1, 2021 after the council in September 2021 unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Kent Police Officers Association for the new agreement.

Kent had dropped to the bottom in pay in 2021 compared to police agencies in Everett, Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton, Vancouver, Auburn and Federal Way, according to numbers provided by the city of Kent Human Resources Department.

With the pay hike, however, Kent moved to the top of the list heading into 2022.

Kent officers with at least five years of experience (which is most of the force) are paid a maximum base salary of $106,776 per year with the increase. Those officers previously received $91,632 per year.

The pay increases include a 6.3% cost of living hike, a 5% market rate adjustment (based on comparable cities) and a 4.7% jump for additional hours that will replace overtime pay under a new shift policy.

Ralph and the council also approved $693,350 in the 2022 city budget to restore five police officer positions that were frozen in 2020 due to COVID-19 budget cutbacks.

“We are doing everything we can to get our community safe,” Ralph said. “I am not giving up, the chief is not giving up and the council is not giving up.”

Money for streets

Besides public safety, Ralph touched on many other topics during her address, including what Kent will receive from the state as legislators on March 10 approved a 16-year, $17 billion transportation package.

Kent will get $20.6 million to help finish the extension of the South 224th/228th street corridor project up the East Hill with the widening of South 218th/216th street to a three-lane road from 94th Place South to Benson Road (aka 108th Avenue SE/State Route 515).

When completed, Ralph said drivers will be able to go between the West Hill (at Military Road South and Veterans Drive) and East Hill (at Benson Road).

“A total of $20.6 million to finish the corridor to connect up to the Benson,” Ralph said. “That’s really significant.”

The city also will receive $10 million to help complete its Meet Me on Meeker project, which includes major improvements to Meeker Street from the historic downtown area to the Green River. Portions of that project are already done, especially near the new apartment complexes.

“I want to say thank you to our legislators working so hard for Kent, we could not do this without them,” Ralph said. “We will see the fruits of those labors in the coming years.”