King County Sheriff's Office

King County Sheriff's Office
Patch of the King County Sheriff's Office
Patch of the King County Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationKCSO
MottoEvery Call Counts
Agency overview
Formed1852; 172 years ago (1852)
Preceding agency
  • Municipal Police
Employees1,000+
Annual budget$138.5 million (2011 Adopted Budget)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionKing County, Washington, U.S.
Population2.1 million
Governing bodyKing County Council
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersKing County Courthouse (Downtown Seattle)
Deputies720
Agency executive
Units
4
  • Field Operations Division
  • Criminal Investigations Division
  • Special Operations Division
  • Technical Services Division
Facilities
PrecinctsYes (4 including HQ)
Police boatsYes
Helicopters6 ( 1 Bell 206B3,2 Bell UH-1H "Huey", one is a UH-1H "Plus",1 Bell 407, 2 TH-67 training helicopters)
Website
http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff.aspx
The KCSO provides policing for unincorporated areas of King County, 12 contracting cities

The King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) is a local law enforcement 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 King County International Airport (Boeing Field). 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,[1] over 500,000 of whom live in either unincorporated areas or the 12 contract cities.

The current Sheriff of King County is Patti Cole-Tindall, the former Undersheriff within the department. Cole-Tindall was appointed in November 2021 and was sworn in on January 1, 2022, then confirmed as permanent sheriff by the King County Council on May 23, 2022