Chief's Message
Welcome to the Olympia Police Department! I hope you find the information here of value and that you will visit this site often to get updates on community safety issues and police department operations. As you view the information, please remember that the Olympia Police Department is not a faceless bureaucratic structure, but rather a diverse team of dedicated and skilled professionals committed to the safety of our city. Policing here matches the uniqueness of our community - we call it policing "the Olympia way."
Policing "the Olympia way" is guided by policies developed directly by Olympia residents. Those policies, framed in the award-winning policing chapter of the Olympia Comprehensive Plan, describe the vision of policing that drives Department services and practices. As part of the City's public safety team, the Police Department provides professional enforcement, prevention, planning, and coordination services that contribute to discouraging criminal behavior and enhancing community livability.
In Olympia, citizens are active participants in community safety efforts - not just consumers of police services. The feeling of safety the community prizes is the product of citizens and their police trusting each other and working together to prevent crime and identify and solve community problems. To complement citizens' efforts, the Department maintains a staff of well-trained police professionals who are sensitive and responsive to the needs of specific neighborhoods; who apply non-traditional problem-solving techniques where appropriate; and who, when necessary, arrest and prosecute those who choose to engage in criminal activity.
Our goal is great service. If you have a compliment on something we did well; a complaint about something you don't think we did well; or a suggestion regarding a service you'd like to see added or changed, please let us know.
Thank you for visiting our web site!
- Chief Gary Michel
Photo by: KC Carpenter