Police Department

Public Safety: Protect People and Property and Reduce Crime

• Our Mission - “Committed to Providing Service that Exceeds Expectations”

The Medina Police Department Team:

• Medina Police Department has nine (9) fully commissioned officers and two (2) administrative personnel. As of the most recent update to this document, there is one open police officer position.
• Officers provide 24 hours a day/365 days a year law enforcement coverage.
• Schedule routinely evaluated to attain maximum coverage and address public safety needs.
• Officer candidates are hired after displaying a strong commitment to community policing, exemplary communication skills, extensive training and experience, and a firm understanding of the relationship officers must have with the Points communities residents.
• Average law enforcement experience for the current five officers is 7.2 years.
• The Chief of Police has a distinguished career with significant executive managerial experience spanning over 30 years. The police department’s Command Staff has over 61 years’ experience in law enforcement. 
• Officers bring experience to the department as detectives, special investigations, Field Training Officers (FTO), DUI enforcement, civil demonstration management, Special Operations Team, public information officers, and weapons proficiency experts.
• Officers bring a high level of service, experience, and training to each call, leaving the citizen feeling confident in the officer(s)’ abilities. The agency stresses follow-up with the affected community member(s) following the conclusion of the call for service.
• Police department is responsible for the lifeguard program and citywide emergency preparedness efforts.
• Mutual aid responses with Clyde Hill, Bellevue, Seattle and Kirkland Police Departments as well as the Washington State Patrol.

 Focus:

• Maintain high, proactive visibility in the community
• Enforce traffic laws throughout the communities, targeting high-volume areas and specific regions of community concern
• Actively patrol by vehicle and on foot
• Maintain strong positive relationships that promote interaction with community
• Instill confidence in the community of the officers’ abilities to see a call for service through to an appropriate resolution
• Foster and uphold a shared commitment to the highest levels of integrity, accountability, respect, compassion, and respect for civil and constitutional rights
• Protect all who live, work or play in Medina and Hunts Point

 Patrol:

• Community coverage – 24/7/365
• School visits – 249+ visits per year
• Park patrol – 176+ visits per year
• Park and Ride – daily patrols on all three shifts
• Targeted Traffic Enforcement – 1,700+ stops per year
• Speed Trailer – bi-weekly deployments throughout the communities

 Community Policing:

• Shredder/Electronics -Recycling/Drug-Take-Back Days – two per year in April and September
• Community Forums – two per year
• Coffee with a Cop – annually
• Walk-to-School Days for the elementary schools
• Field Days – Medina and Three Points Elementary
• Medina Days events
• SeaFair – Manage parking with over 1,000 visitors to Medina Beach Park
• Hunts Point Clean-Up Day
• Medina City Council meeting attendance and support
• Hunts Point Town Council meeting attendance and support
• Additional community/neighborhood/business meetings to address specific concerns as they arise

 Additional Services:

• Concealed Pistol License (CPL)
• Pistol Transfers
• Fingerprinting
• Parking Permits
• Hunts Point Solicitation Permits

 Preparedness:

• School exercise participation – Medina, St. Thomas, and Three Points Schools’ drills, including for fire, lockdown, earthquake, etc.
• Emergency preparedness practice – Officers participate in the Sunday evening radio drill.
• Regular attendance and support at Emergency Preparedness community meetings
• Active Shooter training with Bellevue and Clyde Hill police departments
• Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Accredited Agency – since 2013
• Updated Medina’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) in 2018
• Maintain Emergency Preparedness equipment inventory and supplies
• Participate in Great Shake-out earthquake exercise (annually)

Response:

• Each call for service is handled in person or, at a minimum, by phone to help develop rapport and strengthen the relationship with the reporting party.
• Response time for arrival on an emergency call for service is under three minutes from the time of dispatch to time of arrival on scene.
• A report is taken by an officer for every crime, and often on calls for service where it would be prudent to do so or the reporting party requests one to be taken.
• A thorough investigation is completed on all reported crimes until all leads are completely exhausted or a case is filed with the prosecutor’s office.
• The City’s Automated License Plate Recognition software, camera system and other technologies are frequently used to assist with investigations.

 Training:

• Crisis Intervention Training – all officers receive an advanced 40 hours of training in addition to the 8-hour state-mandated training.
• Active shooter training with Clyde Hill and Bellevue (primary responding agencies to Medina).
• Annual diversity training for all personnel.
• Over 180 hours of advanced leadership training for each department personnel
• Continued successful completion well in excess of the state-mandated 24-hours of annual training per commissioned officer
• Regular training and applicable recertification in Hazardous Materials, Bloodborne & Airborne Pathogens, DUI investigations, emergency vehicle operation, legislative updates, firearms, CPR/AED use and operation, and the use, operation and application of multiple law enforcement weapons (i.e. pepper spray, baton, taser, etc.)

 Crime (Medina and Hunts Point combined): 

 Prevention:

• Overhaul of City’s License Plate Reader (LPR) camera system
• Promote information sharing with community to increase suspicious activity reporting
• E-lerts/Facebook/Twitter –71 E-lerts sent in 2022, 31 E-lerts sent YTD 2023
• House watch – 655 in 2022
  Emergency Preparedness Committee Meetings – one per quarter/four per year
• Lifeguards – Eleven/twelve lifeguards hired to work from end of June to end of August
• Community Forums (crime prevention, youth safety, etc.)

Professional Associations:

International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP)
Washington Association of Sheriff and Police Chiefs (WASPC)
King County Police Chief Association
Eastside Police Chief Association
Member of Coalition of Small Police Agencies (CSPA)
CSPA Major Crimes Task Force (MCTF)
Independent Force Investigative Team – King County (IFIT-KC)
Law Enforcement Records Network (LERN)
Evidence and Property Information Network (EPIN)
International Association for Property and Evidence (IAPE)
Washington Association of Public Records Officers (WAPRO)
Law Enforcement Information and Records Association (LEIRA)
Washington Homicide Investigators Association (WHIA)
Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command (NUSPSC)

 Demographics:

• Population – approx. 3,200 Medina and 450 Hunts Point residents.
• Homes and property – 1,150 homes and 4.8 square miles in Medina and 181 homes and 0.3 square miles in Hunts Point.
• Parks and visitors (Medina Park, Viewpoint Park, Fairweather Park & Fairweather Nature Preserve, Medina Beach Park, City Dock at Lake Lane, City Dock at 84^th Ave NE, pocket park at Post Office property)
• Schools - Medina Elementary School (550 students), Bellevue Christian School (preschool and elementary, 300 students), St. Thomas School (preschool through grade 8, 340 students), St. Thomas Church and parishioners (about 12 staff and TBD parishioners)
• Businesses – Kitchen & Market, Medina Nursery, Overlake Golf & Country Club, and Chevron Gas Station.

 NORCOM 911:

• Emergency calls answered in 2022 -  284,973
• Calls answered within 15 seconds -  96.71% (National Emergency Number Association standard is 90%)
• After answer, high-priority (life-threatening) calls dispatched in 71 seconds (average)
• Time from 911 call answer, to dispatch, to arrival – less than three minutes in Medina/Hunts Point
• Seamless communication abilities with local police agencies (Bellevue, Clyde Hill, Kirkland, Mercer Island & Normandy Park Police Departments)
• Ability to communicate with agencies not within the NORCOM scope (Washington State Patrol, King County Sheriff, Seattle Police Department)