As part of his 2014/2015 budget to be released on Monday, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposes reopening the King County Sheriff’s Office precinct in Maple Valley, known as the Hicks-Raburn Precinct, as well as restoring funding for four uniformed officers.
“A top priority for the Sheriff is to bring deputies closer to the people they serve, and to have a place in southeast King County to restore the vital practice of weekly roll calls with sergeants and deputies,” Constantine said. “My budget reopens the Hicks-Raburn Precinct, providing that base of operations as well as improving community policing in the area.”
The precinct, which served the southeastern portion of King County, was closed two years ago as part of a new deployment approach for the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Urquhart requested that it be reopened because alternative facilities, including holding cells, have not been available in the area.
“The reopening of our precinct in Maple Valley is great news for the residents of south King County,” said Sheriff John Urquhart. “The Hicks-Raburn Precinct is closer to the people we are sworn to protect, and it doubles as a valuable community resource for ceremonies and events. I couldn’t be happier with the Executive’s decision to include it in his 2014 budget.”
Constantine’s proposed budget provides $655,556 to fund a capital project to reopen the Maple Valley precinct and update building systems.
A second proposed capital project would relocate the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit to the same facility.
Upon reopening, the precinct will be rededicated to the memory of Sgt. Samuel Hicks and Det. Michael Raburn, two officers killed in the line of duty in separate incidents in 1982 and 1984.
The Executive’s proposed budget also restores four uniformed officers—three new patrol deputies and a sergeant—and provides for a public records manager, to ensure the Sheriff’s Office can provide timely and complete responses to public records requests.
Constantine will present his 2014/2015 Proposed Budget to the Metropolitan King County Council on Sept. 23.
“I would like to applaud the Executive for his thoughtful budget proposal to re-open the Precinct to better serve and protect the residents of my District and Southeast King County,” County Councilman Reagan Dunn said in a statement. “I joined the community served by the precinct in mourning the shuttering of a vital resource and I applaud Sheriff Urquhart for making the reopening of the Hicks-Raburn Precinct one of his top priorities since coming to office.”
