The death of Kent police officer Diego Moreno casts a new light on the issues of staffing and overtime in Kent, the state's sixth largest city.
Kent Police have maintained for several months that the department is short-staffed. As for Sunday's deadly police pursuit, it's unclear if Moreno or the other officer were working their normal shifts.
Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said Monday, "The issue of staffing is a real one. I don't want to make this a political statement, so I'll just say this: We need more help. And that plays a role in everything that we do."
Earlier this year, there was talk in the department about mandated overtime amid the request for a new levy to pay for additional officers. Chief Padilla recently changed the policy for low-level crimes, asking the public to fill out a form instead of calling 911. The department only has authorization for 157 officers to cover the 34-square miles of the city. Bellevue, a city of similar population and geographic size, has 184 officers.
Kent became Washington's 6th largest city since annexing the Panther Lake area in 2010.
