The Auburn Police Department has been re-accredited by a commission that evaluates how law enforcement agencies stack up against national policing standards.

Chief Jim Kelly announced today the re-accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

The department was accredited in 1997. It's evaluated by CALEA every three years to see how it complies with more than 350 professional standards.

"The Auburn Police Department is proud to be recognized as an Internationally Accredited Agency and looks forward to continuing to provide the Auburn community with highly professional law enforcement services," Kelly said.

During accreditation, CALEA officials inspect every aspect of a police department, from files to internal policies and policing practices. They interview employees, do ridealongs and meet with community members.

Law enforcement agencies voluntarily seek accreditation from CALEA.

A Pierce County sheriff's deputy was justified when he shot and killed a Parkland man armed with a handgun earlier this year, Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne announced Friday.

Deputy Seth Huber "acted in strict conformance with state law" when he fired two shots at Kenneth Alan Woodham at a house in the 800 block of 111th Street South in April, Horne said in a news release.

Woodham had turned toward Huber and another deputy and pointed a .45-caliber pistol at them. He previously had ignored commands to drop the gun, which later was found to be cocked and loaded.

Woodham, 57, was hit twice in the chest and later died.

Woodham's wife, Denise, reportedly told investigators, "Honestly, I think Ken wanted it over for him."

Huber and another deputy had been dispatched to the house to investigate a reported domestic disturbance.

Woodham was on probation for a DUI conviction and reportedly had been drinking alcohol in violation of the terms of his release on the day of his death, according to the news release.

Medical Examiner Eric Kiesel also reviewed the case and decided a coroner's inquest would not be necessary, Horne said.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department will be dedicating a wall within their headquarters building tonight to former Sheriff Lyle Smith.

Smith died Dec. 1, 2007, at the age of 80. He served as Tacoma's police chief 1970-76 and later came out of retirement to be the Pierce County sheriff after the racketeering conviction of Sheriff George Janovich in 1979.

He cleaned up the Sheriff's Department.

"Smith took an agency that was on the wrong path and set things right," Sheriff Paul Pastor wrote in an opinion piece that ran last December. "He strengthened us by virtue of his example, his actions and the rules and procedures he established. He left us a legacy of professionalism and rock-solid core values. What was once a damaged department is now one known for the strength of its ethics and sense of service."

Smith led the charge to change the county charter from an elected to an appointed sheriff. He merged dispatching and crime reporting centers.

The wall dedication takes place at 5 p.m.

A Tacoma police officer was justified in shooting to death a 25-year-old man who ran at another officer with a large knife, Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne said in a news release Friday.

Independent investigations by the prosecutor's office, the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office and the Tacoma Police Department all concluded that officer Jared Tiffany, 26, was within his rights when he fired a single shot at Tony Lamont Clay on July 25, Horne said.

"Officer Tiffany had reasonable cause to believe that Mr. Clay posed an immediate threat of death of serious physical harm to others," according to the news release.

Officers were called to the Spanish Hill apartments in the 6400 block of South 12th Street about 10:25 p.m., according to police. Clay was fighting with at least one other person in the parking lot.

Officer Ben Logan was the first to arrive and saw Clay holding a large butcher knife. He ordered Clay to drop it, then called for backup when Clay didn't comply.

Clay then approached Logan, who used his Taser to try to subdue him. The stun gun had no effect, and Clay – who had a history of mental illness – charged Logan. Tiffany then shot Clay, who died an hour later at Tacoma General Hospital.

The Tacoma Police Department's use of force review board will be looking at the incident, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The board, comprised of officers, supervisors and two citizens, reviews all applications of deadly force and determines whether the incidents fall within department guidelines.

The board also can make recommendations to the chief on whether there were training or equipment issues.

The reviews are typically conducted after the criminal investigation by the Prosecutor's Office and Medical Examiner's Office is completed.

Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor has announced that he's reconfiguring the top of his command staff.

He is creating the position of undersheriff, who will be the No. 2 person in the Sheriff's Department. He's appointed Eileen Bisson to that new post.

For the reconfiguration, Pastor took one of the his three bureau chiefs (Bisson) and promoted her. So instead of three bureau chiefs, he'll have two bureau chiefs and an undersheriff.

Pastor sent out this announcement to Sheriff's Department folks Tuesday. Look for a story in the coming days in the News Tribune about the move and the budget implications.

Today I am announcing the creation of the position of Undersheriff for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

This position, or one very much like it, is nearly universal in Sheriff’s Offices throughout Washington State and throughout the nation.

The Undersheriff position will initially have Bureau Chiefs as direct reports. Additional responsibilities will be assigned later.

This position will manage a number of day-to-day aspects of the agency as well as allow us to take stronger initiatives on key issues and be even more responsive to the community and to our personnel.

While this position has been requested in the budget for the past three years, neither the County Executive’s budget nor the County Council’s budget has included this position. I can no longer wait for requested budget adjustments to take place.

So, today I am creating the position and I am appointing Chief Eileen Bisson to fill this position.

At this time, in light of recent budget uncertainties, the responsibilities of the Chief of Administrative Services position currently occupied by Chief Bisson, will be distributed between the new Undersheriff position and the Chiefs of Operations Rick Adamson and Chief of Corrections Rob Masko.

Please join me in congratulating Undersheriff Eileen Bisson on her new position which will begin on Monday, 19 May 2008.

This item is courtesy of News Tribune reporter Mike Archbold:

Pierce County Assistant Prosecutor Brad Moericke has been named deputy police chief for the Sumner Police Department.

Sumner Police Chief John Galle introduced Moericke, 39, to the Sumner City Council Monday. He will start work May 11.

The deputy chief position is a new position in the Sumner department and is part of Galle's recent reorganization of the department.

Moericke will be in charge of police operations. He was selected from 10 applicants for the job.

For Moericke, it¹s like coming home. Galle said he started working as a Sumner police officer in 1988. He left police work for a business venture in 1998.

"I can¹t tell you how happy I am to come back," he told the City Council, adding that he told then-Sumner Mayor Barbara Skinner that he would be back.

Moericke graduated from Seattle University Law School and in 1995 joined the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office. He is currently assigned to the domestic violence unit.

Galle said Moericke has been out of law enforcement long enough that he needs to be recertified. That can be done either by a request for a waiver or attending a two week recertification course, he added.

Asked why he was returning to police work, Moericke said. "It's where my heart is," adding that the deputy chief job will allow him to use many of his skills.

The Sumner Police Department has 39 employees, including 19 career officers.

An arbitrator has finally settled the most recent round of contract talks between the City of Tacoma and Local 6, the union covering Tacoma police officers, detectives and sergeants.

Here's short story about the raises.

Look for a more in-depth story in Wednesday's News Tribune.

A Pierce County judge handed a one-year suspended sentence Monday to a 40-year-old woman who worked as a guard at the state prison on McNeil Island until she got caught having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate.

Gina M. Mann pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of second-degree custodial sexual misconduct and one count of third-degree introducing contraband. Both are misdemeanor crimes. Mann admitted she embraced and kissed the man in 2006 and gave him a ring, according to court records.

Her attorney, Terry Robinson, told Superior Court Judge Lisa Worswick on Monday that his client sought comfort from the inmate after another man incarcerated at the prison began harassing and threatening her.

"An affection grew between the two of them," Robinson said. "I don't know why she let this got on this far, but it did."

Mann, who no longer works for the Department of Corrections, apologized in court.

"I do apologize for crossing that line," she told Worswick. "I damaged my family. I damaged his family."

Worswick put Mann on two years probation and also ordered her not to seek a job in law enforcement during that time.

The inmate with which she had the relationship, who is serving time for manslaughter, was transferred out of state following the revelation of the relationship.

Tacoma Police Department said goodbye Friday to three veteran detectives.

Sgt. Tom Davidson (top left), a former homicide detective who has been supervising the homicide unit in recent years, retired after 27 years of service.

Detectives Chris Taylor (top right) and Dave Paul (bottom) retired after 30 years on the job. The two - along with detective Bill Webb, who retired last month - came on to the force together and decided to leave together.

All three are widely respected among their colleagues and will be sorely missed.

Davidson has a reputation as a hard worker and inspirational boss. He was a premier detective and set a high standard for others, Assistant Chief Tom Strickland said during Davidson's retirement gathering last week.

Davidson was the lead detective on the Trang Dai massacre in 1998 and the slaying of one its key witnesses. As the supervisor of the homicide unit since April 2004, he's valued teamwork. The unit has cleared a vast majority of city's homicides under his direction.

Taylor was affectionately known at Mr. T while serving three years as the school liaison officer at Gray Junior High School in the early 1980s. He said it was a defining time in his law enforcement career and that he still gets stopped on the street by people who remember him as Mr. T.

Taylor has been a detective since 1987 and spent several years working the pawn shop detail. That means he tried to recover stolen property through the pawn shops. He's also served a couple stints at the public information officer.

Paul has worked financial crimes as a detective for the past several years. He's been active in giving presentations to the public about how to not become a victim of identity theft and fraud.

Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell said the department recently got an award from the Secret Service that in part is because of Paul and his relationships with others in law enforcement.

Two local candidates are vying for the Lakewood police chief.

Among the six men are Lakewood Assistant Police Chief Bret Farrar (above left) and Tacoma police Capt. Paul Mielbrecht (below right).

The public will get a chance to meet and greet the six finalists Wednesday night at a reception.

Read more about the six candidates here.

Here's an early look at a story in tomorrow's paper.

A Tacoma police detective disciplined for poor performance on his sexual assault cases has filed a lawsuit against the city and his department.

Ed Baker, who’s been with the Tacoma Police Department for more than 22 years, filed his lawsuit Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court.

In the seven-page complaint, Baker alleges “negligence, harassment, discrimination, false light, defamation, tortuous interference with a business relationship or expectancy, retaliation, outrage and negligent, reckless and/or intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Tacoma City Attorney Elizabeth Pauli said she had not seen the lawsuit as of Friday afternoon and had no comment. Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said the department does not comment on pending lawsuits.

Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell suspended Baker, a special assault detective at the time, for 20 days without pay in November 2006 after an Internal Affairs investigation concluded his poor work over the past several years could have compromised more than 70 rape and other cases.

The discipline was based on Baker’s unsatisfactory performance and violations of department rules on special assault personnel responsibilities, writing reports and processing evidence and property. Baker also was transferred to property crimes.

Read more in Saturday's News Tribune.

A quick look at the jail roster shows Joseph Qualls – the PC sheriff's deputy charged with criminal trespass with sexual motivation – is no longer in custody. He apparently posted his $10,000 bail about 10 p.m. Friday and was released.

His next court date – a pre-trial conference – is Feb. 5.