information from the City of Burien
City Manager Brian J. Wilson selected Theodore (Ted) Boe to be Burien’s next police chief. His first day will be May 1.
Chief Boe bring 18 years of experience with the King County Sheriff’s Office. He describes his approach as being focused on applying customer service philosophies to law enforcement.
“Community engagement and relationship building are very important to me,” says Boe. “The diversity of the community is also a huge strength. Here, the community is small enough that people from different cultures feel part of the whole community. That is also a challenge for me to lead the police department to be more responsive and culturally competent with all the diverse communities of Burien. However, I want to balance building relationships with not tolerating criminal behavior. I don’t see those two activities as mutually exclusive.”
When asked why he chose to apply for this position he says, “The fact that Burien is becoming a larger city, but is still trying to maintain the small-town feel is what makes it unique. I am really excited to be part of the Burien community. My wife Marci teaches elementary school, and my two children, Harley and Amelia, ages 8 and 5, are excited about attending all the great community events that Burien has to offer.”
Sheriff Johanknecht presented five candidates for Wilson to evaluate. “I was impressed by Boe’s experience and his energy and ability to drive rapid change,” says Wilson. “He is highly respected by his fellow officers and earned high praise from citizens at the various community meetings he attended.”
“Chief Boe is an excellent choice to lead the Burien Police Department,” says Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta. “Burien is rapidly changing, and his energy and focus on service are what our community and the youth in our community need right now. His experience addressing community engagement, relationship building, law enforcement, and leadership will be an asset to our community.”
About the Police Chief Selection Process
The City Manager is responsible for selecting a new police chief from candidates selected by the King County Sheriff. City staff organized a robust public engagement process, involving seven public events and an online survey. In three weeks, the City reached approximately 400 people from multiple neighborhoods. Feedback was used to inform the questions that were asked of each candidate during the staff and police interview panels. Wilson took into account this feedback during the selection of the new chief.
