Sumner Police Department

10/22/2026

We recently received a heartfelt letter from a family in our community recognizing Officer Leighton for his compassion, patience, follow-through and support during a missing-person search and a family crisis, as well as his responsiveness to other neighborhood concerns. This is the type of amazing work that our officers do every day, often without recognition and never for personal attention, but we feel that it is worth celebrating and sharing with all of you.

"He didn’t make me feel like another case number. He didn’t make me feel like I was simply someone calling the police.
He showed compassion.
He listened.
He reassured me.
He cared.
And that mattered more than I can adequately put into words."

Thank you, Officer Leighton, for the care and professionalism you bring to our community. We are so proud that you are part of our team!

10/21/2026

This week is also National School Bus Safety week. WSP has some great messaging here about bus safety.

10/19/2026

It's National Teen Driver Safety Week, and we're reminding young drivers that safe driving starts with smart choices behind the wheel:

Buckle up, every trip, every time.
Put the phone down and stay focused.
Limit distractions.
Follow speed limits.
Never drive impaired.

Driving is a huge responsibility. Make safety your priority every time you hit the road!

10/14/2026

Safety at Home in Sumner, a message from the Mayor:

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Unfortunately, we do see situations where violence occurs in a home, even here in Sumner. Your home is where you should feel the safest, and even one instance of domestic violence is one too many. As the City, we have a domestic violence advocate within our Legal department. This staff member answers calls and helps victims find better, safer situations. In addition, the City Council also voted to support Exodus Housing in the 2027-2028 biennium. This non-profit works tirelessly to find homes for people fleeing situations of domestic violence in our city.

The difficult part of domestic violence is that it can be so hidden, behind closed doors as they say. So please help us out. If you suspect you know someone who may be a victim, please don’t stay silent. It won’t go away on its own. Please visit our website at https://sumnerwa.gov/dv-resources/ for more resources and support. Working together, hopefully we reduce and eliminate domestic violence in our community and throughout every community.

- Mayor Carla Bowman

10/08/2026

Metro Animal Shelter took in 44 cats and kittens earlier this week. They are seeking donations for kitty litter to help care for the cats. If you are interested in volunteering at the shelter or fostering please contact [email protected]

10/07/2026

It’s Homecoming Week, Sumner! Come downtown Friday, October 9, and help cheer on the Spartans as Sumner High School’s football team, marching band, sports teams, clubs and activities make their way down Main Street toward Sumner High School. The parade begins at 4:30 p.m.

Plan ahead if you’re traveling through downtown. No parking along the parade route begins at 2 p.m., with road closures starting at 3 p.m. Expect delays and use alternate routes where possible.
Come early, grab a spot along Main Street and help us make some noise for the Spartans!

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

Meet us for coffee this morning! We will be at Untamed at 7am today for National Coffee with a Cop day. See you soon!

10/05/2026

Thanks for the questions on our previous post today. We want to clarify a couple of things that may be getting misconstrued.

The $22 million figure being discussed in a portion of the City Council video is not the amount of the Public Safety sales and use tax. That figure relates to a separate park capital budget amendment.

The Public Safety sales and use tax is one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) and is estimated to generate approximately $850,000 annually. To put that into perspective, the tax amounts to 10 cents on a $100 taxable purchase, or $1 on a $1,000 taxable purchase, etc.

It is also important to note that this tax is to provide a source of dedicated funding to address identified public safety and criminal justice needs including additional police staffing and other criminal justice costs of providing defense services for qualifying defendants in Municipal Court and partially funding our Body Worn Camera program. The Public Safety tax is not a new funding source for our existing Flock license plate reader cameras. The City has previously received grant funding specifically for Flock cameras.

The City Council has discussed the public safety tax during public meetings, including study sessions, and the ordinance was considered and adopted during an open City Council meeting. Meeting agendas, packets and videos are available to the public on the City's website.

We absolutely recognize that residents have questions and concerns about additional taxes, which is exactly why we shared this video, to explain the need, the actual cost, and what the funding can be used for.

We encourage residents to watch the full discussion, which we will post again below and we always encourage everyone to stay involved in the City's public budget process. Questions and community input are always welcome.

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