Residents can learn and ask questions about staffing levels and body-worn cameras during a Kent Police Community Meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the Mount Rainier Room at Kent Commons, 525 Fourth Ave. N.
Mayor Dana Ralph issued the following statement in her weekly newsletter about the meeting.
“I believe public safety is a pillar to a strong community,” Ralph said. “If we don’t have a safe community then we don’t have a place where people want to live and where businesses want to create jobs and products.
“Two issues I have regularly talked about are the body worn camera program and the staffing levels of our police department. You have the opportunity to learn more and hear from the police department directly on both of these topics. I hope you will join Chief (Rafael) Padilla and members of the police department as we dive deeper into what these things mean here in Kent.”
Officers began to wear the cameras in October. When Ralph ran for mayor two years ago she promised to start a body-worn camera program.
Ralph and Padilla also have said the department needs more officers to be fully staffed for a city with a population of more than 128,000.
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