Clyde Hill News: Police officer exit interview indicates “clear lack of trust in the administration”
Misinformation update; are license plate readers coming to Clyde Hill? Also, are tree removal permits required?
First, a different view in Clyde Hill… win a $5 gift certificate at Queen Bee by being the first to tell me where in Clyde Hill this view is:
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Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the City. The information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about City business I will respond from my City email account.
Police Officer Exit Interview
“Disturbing” and “disconcerting” is how two Councilmembers characterized the exit interview they conducted with the Clyde Hill police officer who recently resigned.
At September’s City Council meeting, Cm Friedman and Cm Muromoto led a discussion of the results of the exit interview.
Cm Friedman offered this summary:
What what I walked out of that meeting with was: we have a great police department; they work together as a team; they have esprit de corps; and they trust their Chief.
What I also walked out with is there was a clear lack of trust in the administration and it was primarily leadership and there were lots of examples: things that are said, things that are done….
To be clear, the leadership of the City’s Administration refers to the Mayor and the City Administrator. Here’s another clip, where Cm Friedman offers more detail:
This really worries me, and the morale problem, it’s primarily between leadership (not the Chief, [but] leadership on the administration side, Mayor [and] City Administrator) and the police department and the officers. And they [the police] don’t believe that leadership has their back, and that’s a big deal, and it really worries me. There’s a feeling it extends beyond… the police department….
According to Cm Friedman, the departing police officer explained that “if he decided to return to police work, he would not apply here” in Clyde Hill. The reasons cited include lack of trust in the Mayor and the City Administrator.
You can watch the entire discussion here (link).
Another concern involved whether the City Administrator, during negotiations with the Police Union, misrepresented what the City Council would and would not agree to in a contract. For example, Police officers “were shocked to realize, in the recent meetings, that we [City Council] were supportive of” a take-home care program (link). (Later in the meeting, the City Council approved moving forward with a take-home car program for police officers.)
The Mayor and City Administrator labelled the feedback “allegations” and said they would follow up. There were no specific dates or next steps offered. Oddly, the Mayor closed the discussion saying “I haven't even read the Chief’s report off of this… I’m hearing it for the first time from you.” (link) There is not currently a report from the Chief.
License Plate Recognition in Clyde Hill?
After reading Medina’s Request For Proposals for a License Plate Recognition (LPR) system (link via Medina’s great newsletter system), I asked Clyde Hill’s Chief of Police Kyle Kolling if that’s on the roadmap for Clyde Hill. Here’s his response:
It absolutely is! In the budget this year is about $15K for Flock Safety cameras, I believe 6 to start with to set up at the main entrances to Clyde Hill.
These cameras run plates (LPR) and almost immediately notify us of a stolen vehicle, wanted felon, etc.. They are a great early warning for criminal activity entering our city. This system would tie into Yarrow Point, which has 5 cameras. Medina is also looking at going to Flock. In theory, if all the Points communities are on the Flock system we have the opportunity to all be tied into about 3 dozen cameras.
Permit to remove tree?
Is a permit required to remove a large (40’ tall) tree in Clyde Hill? The City has a great “Do I need a permit?” guide here (link), but it doesn’t speak to tree removal.
Here’s the short answer from Clyde Hill’s Director of Public Works, Shaun Tozer:
Provided the tree is located on private property, and the work can be performed on the property, there is no permit required by Clyde Hill. Most of the tree removal is performed without permits as they meet those requirements.
If the tree is in the City’s right-of-way, or use of the street is required (like, closing a lane), calling the City is a good idea.
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Dean Hachamovitch