Kent Police joined with 34 other agencies to help sponsor the Chief for a Day event that celebrates the lives of children diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness.
A large police motorcade traveled through Kent on the morning of Aug. 16 carrying the children and their families as part of the celebration, an event held every other year. The motorcade began at the accesso ShoWare Center and traveled west on State Route 516 to Des Moines and eventually to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission academy in Burien.
Each agency provided a child with a honorary hand-tailored uniform. The children, ages 3 to 12, were sworn in as chiefs and sheriffs, treated to lunch and checked out displays that include K-9 units, bicycle patrols, SWAT, rifle units and more.
Syelis “Sye” Lee Wakeman, 4, of Kent, served as the Kent Police Chief for a Day.
“What a cutie our little chief is!” according to the Kent Police Facebook page posting. “Sye is quite the character and had a great time!”
The participating agencies included:
1. Bellingham PD
2. Black Diamond PD
3. Bonney Lake PD
4. Covington PD
5. Ferndale PD
6. Fircrest PD
7. Forks PD
8. Hoquiam PD
9. Kelso PD
10. Kent PD
11. King County SO
12. Kirkland PD
13. Kitsap County SO
14. Lacey PD
15. Lake Forest Park PD
16. Lynnwood PD
17. Mill Creek PD
18. Mukilteo PD
19. Olympia PD
20. Pierce County SD
21. Port of Seattle PD
22. Puyallup PD
23. Renton PD
24. Snohomish County SO
25. Snoqualmie PD
26. Stillaguamish PD
27. Sumner PD
28. Tacoma PD
29. Thurston County SO
30. Tulalip Tribal PD
31. Washington State Patrol
32. Westport PD
33. Redmond PD
34. UW PD
35. WSCJTC Academy
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Syelis “Sye” Lee Wakeman, 4, of Kent, right, serves as the Kent Police Chief for a Day on Aug. 16. He receives door service from Kent Police Assistant Chief Eric Hemmen. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent Police
