John Urquhart | |
---|---|
33rd King County Sheriff | |
In office November 2012 –January 2, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Steve Strachan |
Succeeded by | Mitzi Johanknecht |
Personal details | |
Born | Seattle,Washington,USA | November 10,1947
Political party | Democratic [1] |
Spouse(s) | Shelley |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Mercer Island,Washington |
Alma mater | University of Washington |
Occupation | Law Enforcement Officer |
John W. Urquhart (born November 10,1947) was the 33rd sheriff of King County,Washington and a Democrat. [2] He served as the county's chief law enforcement official and oversaw the more than 1000 employees of the King County Sheriff's Office. [3]
Urquhart grew up in Seattle,Washington. He attended Ingraham High School,graduating in 1967 as Class President. [2] He then attended the University of Washington,graduating with a Bachelor's degree in business in 1971. [4] He owned an electrical construction materials business,which he sold in 1988.
Urquhart's first job in law enforcement was as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Island County Sheriff's Department,serving from 1975 to 1980. [5] He then joined the King County Sheriff's Office as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in 1980,eventually becoming in a full-time Deputy Sheriff in 1988. [6] During his 24-year career with the department,he served in a number of roles including:Field Training Officer,Narcotics Detective,Sergeant,Administrative Aide to the Sheriff,and Spokesman. [7] He retired in February 2012 and became President of the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund. [7]
In late 2012,Urquhart decided to enter the race for King County Sheriff,a non-partisan elected office. He was elected as King County Sheriff in November 2012,defeating Republican Steve Strachan with 56 percent of the vote. [8] [9] He immediately hired Anne Kirkpatrick,Chief of the Spokane Police Department,as his second in command.
In 2016,a lawsuit was filed against Urquhart,alleging that he had raped a former sheriff's deputy in 2002. [10] Another former deputy accused Urquhart of groping him;the deputy received $160,000 in an unusual settlement that was not approved by the King County Executive's office. Some old class mates of his also stepped forward to share stories of harassment they experienced at the hands of Urquhart. [11]
Urquhart ran for reelection as King County Sheriff in 2017 and was defeated by challenger Mitzi Johanknecht,a major from the Southwest Precinct. [12]
David George Reichert is an American politician,veteran,and former sheriff who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th Congressional District from 2005 to 2019. He is a Republican and is the former elected sheriff of King County,Washington. In September 2017,Reichert announced that he would retire from Congress after his seventh term.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle,Washington,United States,except for the campus of the University of Washington,which is under the responsibility of its own police department. The SPD is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Seattle Mardi Gras riot occurred on February 27,2001,when disturbances broke out in the Pioneer Square neighborhood during Mardi Gras celebrations in Seattle,Washington. There were numerous random attacks on revelers over a period of about three and a half hours. There were reports of widespread brawling,vandalism,and weapons being brandished. Damage to local businesses exceeded $100,000. About 70 people were reported injured. Several women were sexually assaulted. One man,Kris Kime,died of injuries sustained during an attempt to assist a woman being brutalized.
The Washington State Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national United States Republican Party,headquartered in Bellevue.
Leroy David Baca is a convicted criminal and former American law enforcement officer who served as the 30th Sheriff of Los Angeles County,California from 1998 to 2014. In 2017,he was convicted of felony obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI.
Joseph Michael Arpaio is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County,Arizona for 24 years,from 1993 to 2017,losing reelection to Democrat Paul Penzone in 2016.
Jamie D. Pedersen is an American lawyer and politician serving as a member of the Washington State Senate,representing the 43rd district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party,he previously served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013.
The New York City Sheriff's Office (NYCSO),officially the Office of the Sheriff of the City of New York,is the primary civil law enforcement agency for New York City. The Sheriff's Office is a division of the New York City Department of Finance,operating as an enforcement arm. The Sheriff's Office handles investigations concerning cigarette tax enforcement,real estate property/deed fraud,synthetic narcotics sales and other matters deemed necessary by the Department of Finance.
The King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) is a local police agency in King County,Washington,United States. It is the primary law enforcement agency for all unincorporated areas of King County,as well as 12 cities and two transit agencies which contract their police services to the KCSO. KCSO also provides police and fire Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting to the King County International Airport. KCSO also provides regional-level support services to other local law enforcement agencies such as air support and search and rescue. The department has over 1,000 employees and serves 2.1 million citizens,over 500,000 of whom live in either unincorporated areas or the 12 contract cities.
Jenny Anne Durkan is an American attorney and politician serving as the 56th mayor of Seattle. She is the daughter of Martin Durkan,who was once considered one of the most powerful politicians in Washington state;like him,she is a member of the Democratic Party. After earning her Juris Doctor from University of Washington School of Law in 1985,Durkan began practicing law as a criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator,and had many prominent cases both on behalf of the government and for private parties. During this time she also worked for many nonprofits and advocacy groups,and was briefly Governor Mike Lowry's chief lawyer. In October 2009,President Barack Obama appointed her United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington. She held that position until September 2014.
On November 29,2009,four police officers of Lakewood,Washington were fatally shot at the Forza Coffee shop,located at 11401 Steele Street #108 South in the Parkland unincorporated area of Pierce County,Washington,near Tacoma. A gunman,later identified as Maurice Clemmons,entered the shop,shot the officers while they worked on laptops,and fled the scene with a single gunshot wound in his torso. After a massive two-day manhunt that spanned several nearby cities,an officer recognized Clemmons near a stalled car in south Seattle. When he refused orders to stop,he was shot and killed by a Seattle Police Department officer.
Washington Initiative 502 (I-502) "on marijuana reform" was an initiative to the Washington State Legislature,which appeared on the November 2012 general ballot,passing by a margin of approximately 56 to 44 percent. Originally submitted to the Washington Secretary of State during the summer of 2011,enough signatures were collected and submitted by December to meet the required 241,153 signatures,sending it to the legislature. When the legislature adjourned without action in April,Initiative 502 automatically advanced to the November 2012 general ballot. It was approved by popular vote on November 6,and took effect over the course of a year,beginning with certification no later than December 6,2012. Along with a similar Colorado measure,Initiative 502 was credited for encouraging voter turnout of 81%,the highest in the nation.
Kshama Sawant is an Indian-American politician and economist who has served on the Seattle City Council since 2014. She is a member of Socialist Alternative,the first and only member of the party to date to be elected to public office.
Steve Strachan is an American law enforcement officer and politician. He has served as the Chief of the Bremerton,Washington Police Department,Chief of the Lakeville,Minnesota Police Department,the Chief of the Kent,Washington Police Department,and the Sheriff of King County,Washington. He also served as a Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives,representing District 58B.
The 2017 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 7,2017. It was won by former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan,who beat civic activist Cary Moon in the general election by 15 percentage points. The two candidates had advanced from an earlier primary election held in August,which ensured that Seattle would have its first female mayor since Bertha Knight Landes was elected in 1926. Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan though most candidates have declared party affiliations.
Cannabis in Washington relates to a number of legislative,legal,and cultural events surrounding the use of cannabis. On December 6,2012,Washington became the first U.S. state to legalize recreational use of marijuana and the first to allow recreational marijuana sales. The state had previously legalized medical marijuana in 1998. Under state law,cannabis is legal for medical purposes and for any purpose by adults over 21.
Mitzi G. Johanknecht is an American police officer and the current sheriff of King County,Washington. Prior to her election in 2017,she served for 32 years at the King County Sheriff's Office,holding the rank of Major.
Girmay Hadish Zahilay is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the King County Council from District 2 in Seattle,Washington. He was elected in 2019 and defeated longtime incumbent Larry Gossett.