Shawn Ledford selected as Shoreline’s new Police Chief

New Shoreline police chief Shawn Ledford
Photo courtesy City of Shoreline

City Manager Julie Underwood has selected Shawn Ledford of the King County Sheriff’s Office to be the City’s new Police Chief. Ledford replaces Dan Pingrey who has been promoted to Chief of the Patrol Operations Division of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Ledford has been with the King County Sheriff’s Office for 23 years, with his most recent position being Zone Commander of the Patrol Operations Division. Before that, Ledford was the Acting Division Chief for the Criminal Investigation Division. From 2001 to 2006, Ledford was the Police Chief for the City of Newcastle where he focused on improving community policing efforts and citizen engagement. In addition to the above positions, Ledford has also served as a patrol officer in Federal Way, a training officer and negotiator on the Hostage Negotiations Team and a detective in the Special Assault and Major Crimes Robbery/Homicide Units.

“I am excited to welcome Mr. Ledford to our team,” said Underwood. “I’m confident his experience and personal values are a good fit for Shoreline. In making my decision, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the selection process; their input was invaluable.”

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve the citizen’s of Shoreline and partnering with the community to keep the city and neighborhoods safe,” stated Ledford. “The highly skilled officers that make up the Shoreline Police Department are known for their professional excellence. I’m honored to be part of their team. During the selection process, the Shoreline Staff, City Leadership Team and City Manager made this an easy decision for me,” continued Ledford. “I look forward to working collaboratively with them to help the City achieve its goals and keep Shoreline a safe community."

The King County Sheriff’s Office submitted five candidates for consideration. Each candidate was interviewed by a panel of City and Police Department staff, the City’s Leadership Team and the City Manager. In addition, a community reception was held at City Hall to allow Shoreline residents an opportunity to meet and hear from all of the candidates.

Ledford is committed to building strong working relationships between the police and the community. “It is my practice that we should treat the public, or those we serve, in the same way we would expect our family or our friends to be treated,” stated Ledford. “The relationship with our citizens is paramount to the success of our organization. We need to keep them included in the process and keep them informed.”

Rather than administering its own police force, the City of Shoreline contracts with King County Sheriff’s Office for police services. Officers work for King County but are dedicated to Shoreline so they get to know the community. The police chief reports to the King County Sheriff and the Shoreline City Manager.

Ledford has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and criminology from Western Washington University. His first day will be June 1.