Cities can have a strong voice and participate in selecting their personnel. Cities can also set the direction and tone of police priorities for their community. Additionally, the city determines what their police staffing levels will be. Several cities have elected to provide officers with office space at City Hall to promote a close working relationship with the officers. A Police Oversight Committee, which embodies the partnership between contract cities and King County provides a forum for communications necessary to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship and ensure that services evolve to meet the contract city's ongoing and unique needs.
Cities can also augment regular police services with additional officers.
Costs are shared between unincorporated King County and contract cities, reducing the impact of administration, operation, specialization and equipment. Detectives become experts in specialized fields and are recognized within King County, and in some cases, nationally, for their work. The King County Sheriff's Office assumes all liability for salary, wages, any other compensation, injury, sickness or liability to the public for negligent acts or omissions arising from the performance of the law enforcement services by the County. The focus of police work has shifted from solely handling emergency calls to solving problems before they become repeat calls. We believe that community policing is based on the concept that police officers, private citizens and social and health service providers work together in creative ways to help solve problems related to crime, fear of crime, social and physical disorder and neighborhood decay.