Patti Cole-Tindall Nominated As King County's Next Sheriff

KING COUNTY, WA — Interim King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall is poised to continue in the role permanently, pending final confirmation from the council and the completion of necessary certifications, officials announced Tuesday. King County Executive Dow Constantine formally announced his pick to lead the sheriff's office during a news conference in White Center Tuesday morning.

"The mission of the sheriff's office is to improve the quality of life and preserve public safety for the people of King County," Constantine said. "To meet the needs of our community, we must rethink and reimagine how to deliver on that promise, and there's no better person to do that and serve as sheriff than Patti Cole-Tindall. Her experience as a leader, rooted in accountability and equality, and her credibility in the community and within the sheriff's office ranks, are the exact combination of qualities we were looking for in a sheriff."

The search follows a charter amendment approved by voters in 2020 that reverted the sheriff to an appointed, rather than elected, position, accountable to the executive's office and the Metropolitan King County Council. Former sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht, elected in 2017, left office at the end of 2021. She previously faced multiple calls for her resignation.

Constantine's final selection follows a nationwide recruitment effort that began in November and attracted a dozen applicants, including Cole-Tindall. The three finalists were unveiled in April. Ultimately, the interim sheriff won out over Charles Kimble, chief of police in Killeen, Texas, and Reginald Moorman, a major in the Atlanta Police Department.

The interview process included meetings with the county's Public Safety Advisory Committee, employees and labor representatives, along with public forums and media interviews. Cole-Tindall came to the King County Sheriff's Office in 2015 after serving as the county's Director of Labor Relations and interim director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight.

"I am honored and humbled to be selected to serve as the next King County Sheriff," Cole-Tindall said in a statement Tuesday. "I am looking forward to the future of not only the agency but also the community as we work collaboratively to co-create a public safety agency that meets the needs of the residents of King County. I, along with my leadership team, are committed to making the King County Sheriff's Office a premier law enforcement agency and striving for continuous improvement."

The sheriff's office employs more than 1,000 people and its jurisdiction covers more than 500,000 residents living in unincorporated areas and a dozen contract cities. News of Cole-Tindall's selection received early support, including from the mayor of Burien, the Seattle/King County NAACP and King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay.

"In the few months since Patti has stepped into the role of interim sheriff, we've seen a big difference in responsiveness, communication, and collaboration with her department," Zahilay said. "She is the right person to continue leading KCSO as we innovate and build a system of public safety that keeps everyone safe. I believe she will welcome and help us continue to build a public health focused and community-based approach to public safety."

The council is scheduled to begin its confirmation process on May 18 and expects to hold a final vote before the end of the month. Sometime after her confirmation, Cole-Tindall will need to complete several months of training to be formally recertified as a peace officer, a process that takes several months. During that time, the executive's office said an acting sheriff will be appointed from the leadership group.