News Flash

REDMOND, WA - The Redmond Police Department has launched a new committee to act as an advisory council on issues of equity, transparency and community relations. The council, named the Community Equity Action Team (CEAT), is comprised of people who live or work in Redmond and includes multiple perspectives from commonly underrepresented voices.

We wanted to hear from all parts of our community, especially those who bring forth ideas or experiences that may often be overlooked, said Sgt. Julie Beard who spearheaded the project within RPD. We hope this group can advise on ways for us to positively impact our relationships with the people we serve as well as bring forth difficult conversations so we can find ways to improve our service to the City of Redmond.

The group is currently working with Chanin Kelly-Rae, a consultant who specializes in helping businesses and governments improve their systems to be more inclusive and equitable. Kelly-Rae's motto is "Build nothing for us, without us," and those words are a guiding principle as CEAT moves forward.

CEAT strives to include team members from various faith organizations, nonprofits, the LGBTQIA community, homeless outreach, domestic violence survivors, people with disabilities, City of Redmond employees, students, and representatives from ethnic and cultural communities.

The council was created in 2018 in partnership with a team of Leadership Eastside students and law enforcement representatives who came together to look at inequities between the police and the community. Stakeholders said again and again that every single interaction matters – positive and negative – and the police should continue to work to build opportunities for positive, non-enforcement interactions with their community.

For more information about the Redmond Police Department's Community Equity Action Team visit www.redmond.gov/CEAT

For media inquiries please contact Andrea Wolf-Buck, RPD Public Information Coordinator, at awolf-buck@redmond.gov or 425-556-2545.