Burien Police Chief to resign, seek job outside King County

BURIEN, Wash. - Burien Police Chief Ted Boe is resigning from his position and will pursue another job outside of King County, according to mayor Kevin Schilling.

Schilling confirmed with FOX 13 that Boe sent an email on Tuesday announcing his resignation, planning to officially leave the department on August 15.

Boe's resignation comes during high tensions between the city of Burien and King County Sheriff's Office, mostly due to the Sheriff's Office not enforcing the city's 24-hour public camping ban. Chief Boe previously raised concerns over the constitutionality of the ordinance, which is at the center of several lawsuits.

In response to the ban being ignored, Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon sent a letter to King County Sheriff Patricia Cole-Tindall saying he does not trust Chief Boe to fulfill the city's requirements.

Back in early May, a Burien officer presented a petition to the city council, signed by nearly all staff within the department, threatening to leave the city if the chief was removed. The petition says it would result in "the immediate transfer for request of countless years of experience from the city."

However, according to the city of Burien, there is no actual "Burien Police Department," as the city contracts employees of the King County Sheriff’s Office. It's currently unknown if or when a new person will be assigned as Burien's police chief.

As for the officers who signed the petition in support of Boe, there is no indication that they will leave the department as well, since the chief resigned himself instead of being removed by the city.

Boe sent the following statement to FOX 13 regarding his resignation:

"I hope you can share with my community what a great honor it has been to be entrusted with their police department for the last 6 years. I will be forever grateful for the friendships I have built across our community. I have assembled a team of officers that are second to none in their service to Burien and I couldn’t be more proud of the team I leave behind serving this community!

For now I am just spending time with my family and planning for the transition to a new adventure!"