Kelly Park selected as Shoreline’s new Police Chief

Capt. Kelly Park, new Chief of Police
for the City of Shoreline

City Manager Debbie Tarry has selected Kelly Park of the King County Sheriff’s Office to be the City’s new Police Chief. 

Park replaces Shawn Ledford who has been promoted to Chief of the Patrol Operations Division of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Park has over 20 years of experience with the King County Sheriff’s Office. She is currently the Operations/Administration Captain for the Shoreline Police Department. 

Prior to her role in Shoreline, Park was the Internal Investigations Unit Commander for KCSO. She was responsible for leading the department that reviews accidents, use of force and pursuits, and all alleged misconduct by department personnel. 

Prior to that she served as the Operations Captain for the Southwest Precinct in Burien and then Sound Transit Police. 

The Operations Captain is responsible for the business finances, record keeping, and forward-facing customer service within the departments. They are also responsible for training and equipment needs of the departments. 

In addition to these roles, Park has also served KCSO as a Recruiter; Internal Investigations Detective Sergeant; and Patrol and RADAR Sergeant in Shoreline; the Advanced Training Unit Sergeant for the department, and for Court Protection at King County Courthouse. 

While at KCSO, Park has also served in different capacities, including Detective, Patrol Officer, and School Resource Officer, for the cities of Shoreline and Woodinville.

“Captain Park will be a great Police Chief for the City of Shoreline. I heard consistently from those that participated in the screening process, including community members, that they appreciated Kelly’s thoughtful approach to answering questions, her knowledge and breadth of experience, her confidence, her commitment to equity, and her understanding of the need to support our police staff” said Debbie Tarry, City Manager.

“I am honored and humbled in my acceptance of the Shoreline Police Chief position. I pledge my continued service in our community, treating everyone with the dignity, equity and respect we all deserve, and growing together,” said Park. “I am very proud to be a member of our police department and this team.”

The City’s Leadership Team along with two representatives from the Shoreline Police Department, a community panel made up of Shoreline residents and business owners, and the City Manager interviewed two candidates forwarded by the King County Sheriff’s Office. 

In addition, the City hosted a virtual public forum to allow the candidates to introduce themselves to the community and to answer questions.

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.

Park has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, Bothell. Her first day as Chief will be October 1, 2022.