Police Department

Community Support/Commendations

We are fortunate to have tremendous community support for our police department. We don't take your appreciation lightly. Every month many of you take the time to write, phone, email or deliver to SPD a thank you for various encounters with our police officers. We know it takes time and effort to submit a commendation. They are shared with the SPD family and on this page you will find them shared with the public as well. Some commendations may have been edited for a number of reasons including: to protect victim information, to ensure citizen privacy, and/or to shorten content or remove non-pertinent content.

The number of commendations SPD receives consistently outnumbers the number of complaints we receive.

Those numbers are documented regularly and shared in SPD's Strategic Initiatives Report which can be found on our website.

To voice your support or provide a thank you to SPD see: SPDInternalAffairs@spokanepolice.org
Please include details of the contact with our officer, your name (or the name of the person contacted by police if known), the location of the contact, the date and time of the contact, the officer's name (if known) and the details of the contact.

2024 Commendations

I just wanted to formally say I had the greatest time on my ride along with Officer John Oliveri last night. I don't have his contact information but please send my sincere regards, he was a treat to ride along with. You have a great team, and it was an honor to get to observe all of you in action. —(Officer John Oliveri, Jan. 2024)

A citizen called in to commend you on your “customer service skills” in reference your response to a welfare check on his ex-wife and children. He said he owns an electrical business and would hire you whether you had electrical knowledge or not, just based on your customer service. He expressed that you communicate effectively, you are compassionate and understanding, and you have good knowledge of the law. —(Officer Ryan Skay, Jan. 2024)

I went into my neighbors' house on Thursday evening (they are traveling in South America and were out of touch) to turn on water taps and open cabinet doors to try to avoid freezing water pipes as the extreme cold moved into our area. I discovered their bedroom in disarray, and then noticed that the glass entry door from their deck into the bedroom was completely smashed, and glass was all over their carpet. Two officers responded very quickly to our call for help. A third officer also arrived to take photos of the crime scene. All could not have been more professional. They really made us feel as though they cared about the predicament we were in and helped us deal with it. The officers made suggestions for securing the door and helped us adjust the heat, and also helped us make the house look occupied. They even came back the next couple of evenings (and maybe more) to check on the heat situation and deter prowlers by their presence. It was very comforting in this difficult situation to feel that these officers cared, and kindly provided support for me and my neighbors who gathered to do what we could to protect the home of our absent friends. —(Stanley Stadelman, Officer Kolton McKitrick, Marvin Cunningham, Jan. 2024)

[In reference to visiting a kindergarten class.] Thank you again! You are amazing! We will vote tomorrow on a name for your car. Here are some pictures I'll send you more in another email. —(Lt. Steve Braun, Jan. 2024)

A woman took the time to call to again relay her “gratitude, appreciation and deep respect” she has for the response yesterday with her friend's passing. She wanted to pass on her thanks and asked me to relay to the officers “to keep up the good work and to stay safe,” and “God Bless you all.” —(Officers Bradley Lewis and Randy Burnworth and Chaplain Kevin Piatt, Jan. 2024).

On Tuesday, January 16th, an officer showed up responding to complaints of a broken-down car on the street. It was my girlfriend's BMW that had the tires and catalytic converter stolen a couple of weeks ago. Anyways, the officer said that he had to get it moved but wanted to give us the chance to move it before he had it towed. He gave me a few suggestions for what to do and even Googled the phone numbers and wrote them down for me. We got our vehicle moved a couple days later, thanks to his recommendations and even made a couple hundred dollars vs. having to pay someone to haul it off. He was extremely professional and polite from the start, and I just really wanted to stress that these are the kind of officers that give SPD and police in general a great name. His last name was officer Pickens, something like that, I'm sorry I don't remember his exact name, but the experience left a great impression on me, and I just wanted you to know that I hope this officer gets recognized for his exemplary service and conduct and that hopefully he has a long and successful career with the SPD. Thanks for all you do every day. Stay safe and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! —(Parking Enforcement Officer Chris Patchin, Jan. 2024)

He was extremely professional and polite from the start, and I just really wanted to stress that these are the kind of officers that give SPD and police in general a great name. (—Officer Chris Patchin, Jan. 2024)

We are the family of the late [Name Withheld] found dead, after an intense search and investigation by your Major Crimes unit. We wish to commend the extraordinary efforts of our assigned contact detective, Benjamin Green. Det. Green's professional diligence was only equaled by his compassion for our family at the various stages of the investigation and the follow-up after the release of the medical examiner's report. His regular, sensitive, and timely contact with us was most especially helpful. Det. Green was especially compassionate in his official notifications of the children and of extended family throughout the process. He even contacted us while he was on vacation to assure us of his availability. There was a celebration of her life with 152 family and friends in attendance on short notice due in large part to Det. Green's keeping us all in the loop as information developed. Det. Green personified and exemplified the “serve and protect” motto at the local level for the SPD and our local law enforcement agencies. Please thank and commend him on our behalf. —(Det. Benjamin Green, Jan. 2024)