Memorial Procession Map

 A memorial procession along city streets for Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton will be held on Friday, November 6. Approximately 1,000 to 1,500 vehicles will depart at 9:00 a.m. from the University of Washington and will travel to a service for the slain officer at Key Arena.   

During the procession, which is expected to last from 9:00 a.m. to noon, other traffic will not be allowed on the route and will not be allowed to cross it. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers to expect severe congestion near its path, especially as mourners are also anticipated along its course.

The memorial procession will use the following route:  begins at the University of Washington’s E-1 parking lot; south on Montlake Blvd NE to 24th Ave E; south on 24th to 23rd Ave E; south on 23rd to E Madison St; west on Madison to E Pine St; west on Pine to Broadway; north on Broadway to E Denny Way; west on Denny to 1st Ave N; north on 1st to Key Arena. Staging will begin in the E-1 parking lot (north of Husky Stadium on Montlake Blvd NE) beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m.  

Parking will not be allowed along the route and temporary “No Parking” signs will be emplaced. Officers from the Seattle Police Department will manage all intersections for the procession. 1st

Avenue N (Denny to Mercer) and Mercer Street (1st to 5th avenues N) will be closed when the procession arrives at those locations. Roads around the Seattle Center will also be closed to traffic, to include parking, prior to the event. 

The public memorial service at Key Arena will begin at 1:00 p.m., with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. No formal procession is planned after the ceremony. All questions concerning the procession route and traffic impacts should be directed to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Linda Pierce began her career with the Seattle Police Department in May 1981. As a police officer, she worked throughout the city.  She was a Field Training Officer and also spent one year assigned to the Inspections and Planning Section. She was promoted to detective sergeant in 1988 and was tasked with developing the department’s first community policing unit. In 1991, she returned to patrol as a sergeant in the East Precinct.  She then served as the commander of Mounted Patrol Unit until she was promoted to lieutenant in 1995. While a lieutenant, she worked as a watch commander in the North Precinct, commander of the Special Deployment Unit and executive assistant to two assistant chiefs as well as the chief of police. She was promoted to captain in 1999. As a captain, she has commanded the Internal Investigations Section as well as Metropolitan Section, overseeing Canine, Mounted, SWAT, Harbor and Gang units. She was the Captain of the West Precinct before her promotion to Assistant Chief in 2005.

Linda Pierce graduated from Syracuse University in 1980 with a B.A. in Policy Studies in Criminal Justice. She attended the University of Puget Sound School of Law, now known as the Seattle University Law School where she received an American Jurisprudence Award and attained her Juris Doctor in 1988. She has been a member of the Washington State Bar Association since 1990. Linda Pierce has also been a certified mediator since 1996, participating in the King County Interlocal Conflict Resolution Group as well as the Federal Executive Board Dispute Resolution Consortium. She is also a graduate of the West Point Leadership Program offered through the Los Angeles Police Department. 

Linda Pierce’s wisdom and integrity will be greatly missed.  We are confident in her continued success as a leader in the field of law enforcement.

Assistant Chief Linda Pierce

The Seattle Team selected the 23rd Avenue Corridor, located in the city’s Central District, for the initiative’s pilot area because of residential and business communities  ongoing concerns and requests for action; supporting SPD data; both the Seattle Police’s East Precinct Commander and the City Attorney East Precinct Liaison believed the project fit with the communities desire to  try a new approach;  the area contains many active community members, business, and social services providers who could be partners in the effort; and the area had all the attributes needed to best replicate the successes in North Carolina.

The broader Seattle DMI partnership includes the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, various other federal law enforcement agencies based in Seattle, and the Washington State Department of Corrections.  Community partnerships are also critical to the success of a DMI program and a number of citizens, groups, and businesses stepped up to support the community efforts.  Community partners supporting the effort include various citizens, faith based providers and community groups in the area, including the East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition, and social services partners such as the Washington Department of Social & Health Services, Sound Mental Health, Seattle Vocational Institute, Therapeutic Health Services, and many others.

The Drug Market Initiative involves several steps.  A residential neighborhood experiencing an overt open-air illegal drug market is identified through citizen complaints, community input, police calls for service, surveillance, and crime data.  Active sellers operating the drug market are identified.  The police conduct a series of undercover operations making multiple “controlled buys” from these active dealers with the goal of breaking up the operation of the market.  Drug sellers encountered are separated into two groups based on their criminal histories – higher risk offenders who have crimes of violence, weapons offenses, or deal in volume and lower risk offenders who do not have crimes of violence in their histories.

The lower risk sellers’ positive “influential”, often a family member or close friend are identified, contacted by DMI members and requested to help encourage eligible offenders to take advantage of the DMI opportunity to positively change their life. The lower risk drug sellers are advised of their criminal behavior at a “community Call-In” and are given an opportunity to avoid prosecution by immediately ceasing their drug dealing & criminal activities.  These lower risk sellers are offered community support and community-based social services help to assist them in redirecting their lives.  Those sellers who refuse to stop their drug dealing are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Higher risk drug sellers are prosecuted in the traditional manner through a coordinated effort between City, County, and Federal Prosecutors.  The community and law enforcement partnership works together to prevent the return of the drug market and improve quality of life in the neighborhood. 

DMI differs from traditional police/prosecution narcotics operations in several important ways:

· Under traditional prosecution, lower risk sellers are arrested and prosecuted for a single criminal event.  Under DMI, these sellers supporting the operation of the market are brought together and collectively confronted with their dealing in a community Call-In prior to arrest and prosecution.
· Under traditional prosecution, the low risk dealers, if convicted, are sentenced to prison or ordered into services/treatment, and are jailed if they fail to comply.  Under DMI, such sellers are offered mentoring/ services/ and treatment prior to prosecution.  Such dealers are not required to accept this help, but are required to stop their criminal activity or face swift legal action.
· Under traditional prosecution, the community is rarely involved in the prosecution effort and often does not know the end result of their calling the police about drug dealing. Under DMI, the community is engaged with increased emphasis on community and law enforcement working together.
· Under traditional prosecution, the prosecution effort is generally directed at a specific person and event.  Under DMI, the focus of the community and law enforcement partnership is to dismantle the drug market.

The community plays an important role in the Drug Market Initiative by:

· Being watchful of and immediately reporting subsequent crime such as narcotics selling activity to the police.
· Reasserting community control over their neighborhood and reinforcing the message that drug dealing will no longer be tolerated.
· Providing support to lower risk dealers who are prepared to cease criminal activity.
· Helping to direct low risk sellers to resources in the community that can assist them in becoming law abiding members of the community.
· Working with community and law enforcement efforts to increase quality of life throughout the neighborhood.

Interim Seattle Police Chief John Diaz believes the initiative will give Seattle a new tool to combat street drug dealing, stating “DMI has had tremendous success in other areas of the country.  We want to replicate that success with this new, innovative approach to the open-air drug markets operating within our neighborhoods.” 

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg added, “It’s time for a new approach in stopping chronic drug dealing in our neighborhoods. Together with community leaders and members of the neighborhoods most affected by the constant flow of drugs, we hope to give people a better choice than the revolving door of dealing a small amount of drugs and going to jail.”

City Attorney Thomas Carr said that the “DMI represents a partnership between a community affected by an open-air drug market and the criminal justice system.  They actively work together toward a common goal of ending the harmful impact of drug dealing.”

Interim Chief John Diaz says, “Lieutenant Wilson has served the citizens of Seattle tirelessly over the course of his 32-year career.  It is my pleasure to announce his promotion to Captain.  Captain Sanford and Assistant Chief Metz are the right people to fill two of our executive level vacancies.  They will provide the leadership and professionalism needed to prevail over the challenges that a big city police department faces on a daily basis.”

Lieutenant Ron Wilson of the Robbery, Fugitive and Gang Unit has been promoted today to Captain.  Captain Wilson will oversee the SPD Metropolitan Section, which consists of SWAT, K9, Harbor and Mounted Patrol.  Taking his place will be SWAT Commander Lieutenant Steve Wilske.  Captain Wilson is a 32-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department.

Captain Mike Sanford of the Operations and Planning Section will be filling in as Acting Assistant Chief of Patrol Operations.  Captain Sanford’s previous assignments include West Precinct Commander, Metropolitan Section and Narcotics.  Captain Sanford is a 25-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department.

Assistant Chief Nick Metz of the Patrol Operations Bureau will serve as Acting Deputy Chief of Operations, Interim Chief John Diaz’s former position.  Chief Metz is a 26-year veteran of the force.

For more information about Acting Deputy Chief Metz and other Executive Staff, please follow this link.

Assistant Chief Metz

The suspect’s boat collided with the victim’s boat and went over it, damaging and disabling it.  Both the male and the female sustained minor injuries from the collision.  Harbor Patrol officers transported the victims and towed their boat to the Harbor Patrol station. 

Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact the Seattle Police Traffic Collision Innvestigation Squad at (206) 684-8923.

The suspect is described as an Asian or Hispanic male

30-49 years old

5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall

140-160 pounds

Black hair

The suspect vehicle is described as a newer blue or black, medium sized car in good condition.

Anyone with information about these burglaries or possible suspect/vehicle information is asked to call Seattle Police Burglary Unit at 684-5735.  Those wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or text CRIMES (274637) and preface your text information with TIP486.