Shoreline Police Chief Candidates Virtual Public Forum

Shoreline is appointing a new Police Chief; meet the final candidates at a virtual public forum!

Thursday, September 12, 2024
6:30 to 8:00pm
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84098627719?pwd=knOwHGFEWnGLhwZWHmIzGMiJDzkocT.1
Webinar ID: 840 9862 7719
Passcode: 95875636

Shoreline City Manager Bristol Ellington will soon appoint a new Police Chief to lead the Shoreline Police Department. 

As part of the hiring process, the City will hold a virtual public forum via Zoom to allow the finalists to introduce themselves to residents and answer questions. 

Natasha Jones, the Director of Customer Service at King County, will moderate the forum.

Residents who wish to submit questions for the candidates can do so online before the forum or during the forum itself through the Q/A feature in Zoom. The moderator will compile questions for the candidates based on the questions submitted.

Submit a question online - scroll down to the bottom of the page

In addition to the public forum, candidates will also go through an interview process involving a panel of the City’s Leadership Team, a panel of community members, and the City Manager. The City Manager anticipates making a final decision on the new Police Chief by the end of September.

Candidates

Thomas P. Collins

Chief Tommy Collins joined the King County Sheriff’s Office in February 1999, just shortly after his honorable discharge from the United States Navy, where he served aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and completed two deployments to the Middle East. 

During Chief Collins’ career he has served in multiple positions throughout the Sheriff’s office. These include patrol, storefront deputy, school resource deputy, Field Training Officer, Master Police Officer, and Detective for the Joint Transit Anti-Terrorism Team.

In 2015, Chief Collins was promoted to Sergeant for KCSO and served as a patrol sergeant and an administrative sergeant for both KCSO Precinct 2 and the City of Maple Valley. During his tenure as a sergeant, Chief Collins was recognized as Precinct 2’s Sergeant of the Year in 2015, and Precinct 3’s Sergeant of the Year in 2018.

In April 2020, Chief Collins was promoted to Captain and served as the administrative Captain for KCSO’s Sound Transit contract. In 2021, Chief Collins was selected to take over KCSO’s Special Operations section, where he served until his selection as Chief of Police for the City of Maple Valley.

Chief Collins has an Associates degree in Liberal Arts from Florida Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from Washington State University, and an Executive MBA from Washington State University. 

In addition, he is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP), as well as from the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Program.

Chief Collins is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time with his wife, Julie. They have been married for 26 years and have two adult daughters.

Steven Lysaght

Steve Lysaght brings over twenty-two years of experience with the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), following his initial service as a peace officer in Colorado. 

Since his appointment as Chief of Police in Sammamish in 2022, Steve has demonstrated a strong commitment to community engagement and employee wellness. 

His previous roles include serving as a patrol supervisor in the city of Shoreline, as well as a detective sergeant in KCSO’s Internal Investigations Unit and the King County METRO Transit Police Criminal Investigations Unit. 

Additionally, he has held positions as a Community Service Officer, Field Training Officer, Master Patrol Officer, and Detective.

Steve holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Criminal Justice and Political Science from Colorado State University. He has also contributed to the local academic community as an instructor in Community-Police Relations at Highline Community College. 

Outside of his professional life, Steve, and his family of seven enjoy traveling, hiking in the Cascades, and exploring the beautiful beaches of the Pacific Northwest.

Background

Effective August 31, 2024, Shoreline Police Chief Kelly Park will begin a new position within the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) as the Patrol Operations Division Chief. 

With Chief Park’s promotion, Shoreline City Manager Bristol Ellington has started the process of finding a new Police Chief. 

The City contracts with KCSO for police services. Although officers work for King County, KCSO assigns them to work specifically in Shoreline and focus on building relationships with the Shoreline community. 

The Police Chief reports to the King County Sheriff and the Shoreline City Manager.

As a contract city with KCSO, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall selects candidates for the Shoreline Police Chief position from within KCSO ranks. She will forward potential candidates to the City Manager. After the City Manager reviews the applications, he will choose candidates to move forward in the interview process.

Interpretation

Interpretation in Amharic, Tigrinya, Mandarin, Spanish, and ASL will be provided.