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HomeMy WebLinkAbout62_Mayors Newsletter_122117DECEMBER 21, 2017 This Week from the Mayor Denis Law, Mayor VOL. II, NO. 40 Multiple jurisdictions respond to tragedy MOST OF US were awakened to breaking news Monday, reporting that an Amtrak train left the tracks on a sharp turn in Dupont and crashed onto the freeway below, killing three people and injuring more than 70 others. It was truly a miracle that more lives weren’t lost, given the amount of destruction caused to the passenger train and vehicles on the freeway. The response by police and fire personnel was massive. This mass-casualty incident showed us the value of multiple jurisdictions working together to be prepared in the event of a catastrophic event. Police officers and fire fighters from miles around responded to the scene to rescue and treat survivors of the accident. Even Renton Police were called to transport badly needed blood from Bloodworks Northwest, located near IKEA, to hospitals that were receiving seriously injured victims. Nearly every week, we are hearing about major disasters across our country, from hurricanes down south to the disastrous wildfires that have devastated California this year. Closer to home, we’re constantly reminded that the “big” earthquake still looms in our future. Frequent news reports urging the public to be prepared in the event of a major disaster are not a bunch of hype. If you need more convincing, turn on the morning news. Zero tolerance for sexual harassment THE OTHER NEWS dominating the airwaves each morning is the firing or resignation of another public official or well-known television personality over allegations of sexual harassment or assault. While this mistreatment of women is not new, the fact that victims are now feeling more comfortable to report these incidents, even cases from many years ago, is exposing the inappropriate behavior that has existed for generations in a very public way, especially by men in powerful positions. The city continues to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment or retaliation in the workplace. Not only do we have mandatory training for all employees, we continually emphasize the importance of this policy to all administrators and managers and the responsibility to take appropriate steps if we become aware of any potential violations. We do need to remind ourselves that not everything is doom and gloom. Despite the negative news that we are inundated with every day, I think it’s important to keep in mind that most elected officials, celebrities and corporate executives would never think about abusing their position by disrespecting, or even worse, assaulting women in any way. I really feel our society is dominated by good people who care about others and strive to do the right thing every day. We need to file all of the news about these offenders in a folder reserved for losers, and remember that there are many more good things happening in our community than we will ever see on the evening news. Renton Police promotes new deputy chief THE GROWTH OF OUR COMMUNITY and the increasing complexity of providing quality police services prompted the need to do some reorganization of our police command staff, which included adding a deputy chief position. This deputy chief position was eliminated many years ago, when Renton was less than half the size it is today. We’re very pleased to announce that Chief Kevin Milosevich has appointed Commander Jon Schuldt to fill the second deputy chief position. Jon has served the Renton Police Department since 1995 and has over 22 years of law-enforcement experience. He will assume his new role effective January 1. Jon has served in a leadership capacity with the department for over ten years. He currently oversees the patrol division covering the north portion of the city. In addition to his years on patrol, Jon has served as a K-9 handler, patrol sergeant and supervisor of the undercover special operations unit. Jon has been involved in the Renton community for many years and continues to be a valued member of the police command staff. Feedback Comments, questions or suggestions, or just want to share all the great things that are happening in the city, please email me. Thanks for reading.