On Wednesday, November 15, we hosted our Fall 2023 grant review meeting, where the SPF Grant Committee heard overviews of 14 proposals for various projects, programs, equipment, technology, and training. 

One of those presentations was given by Seattle Police Department Officer Aaron Lucas (photo on the right), a U.S. Navy veteran and dedicated community connection builder.

Officer Lucas submitted a proposal requesting support for a community outreach program he calls ‘The 4Cs: Cops, Community, Cutz, and Convos,’ which leverages Officer Lucas’s skill as a barber to provide free barbering services to youth-at-promise in the Seattle community.

Prior to Officer Lucas’s career in law enforcement, he owned his own barbershop in Seattle’s central district, where providing haircuts was his bread and butter.

Now he uses his barbering skills to build community and positively impact Seattle’s youngest community members. Not only does Lucas offer free haircuts at various community events, but he also regularly visits the King County’s juvenile detention facility to provide haircuts to youth in detention. His grant, if awarded, would help support the 4Cs program throughout 2024. SPF has funded the 4Cs program in the past, and it was very successful. Learn more about it on our Grant Highlights webpage by clicking the tab that says 2022 Grant Highlights.

The SPF Board of Directors will vote on the final slate of grant recommendations at our December board meeting. Thanks to our Grant Committee for all its hard work in evaluating and prioritizing the proposals that came in.

When you support the SPF grant program, you help bring projects like this to life. If you haven’t already given this year and want to have a direct impact on SPD officers and our community, please consider making a year-end gift to the Seattle Police Foundation grant program today. 



SPF's grant program = Real dollars. Real officers. Real community impact.

The Seattle Police Department is lauded for its top-tier training curriculums in various facets of law enforcement, including things like impaired driving detection, bicycle patrol, K9 tracking, Law Enforcement Casualty Care, emergency medicine, defensive tactics, and more.

But while the training may be first-class, SPD’s training facilities are a different story.

The bulk of SPD’s training spaces and classrooms are located at Park 90/5 in south Seattle, which is home to SPD’s Training Unit and several specialty units, including ABS, SWAT, Narcotics, and others. As we looked at the department as a whole, we intentionally sought a project that would have a department-wide positive impact. Renovating one of SPD’s training classrooms seemed like a great fit.

Prior to the city of Seattle taking ownership in 1996, the buildings at Park 90/5 were used for office and warehouse space, coffee roasting, and other industrial uses. While the buildings did receive some initial renovations when the city first acquired them, over time, the Training Annex (located inside Building D) had become increasingly lackluster.

We decided to see what we could do to spruce things up.

We once again partnered with incoming SPF Board Chair and Compass Construction President Frank Stauff, who spearheaded the East Precinct kitchen renovations in 2022. The Compass team toured the Park 90/5 facilities and settled on the entryway and classroom inside the Training Annex, which welcomes students and instructors from across the United States.

The Compass team immediately saw beyond the Annex’s shortcomings and came up with a plan to completely reinvent the classroom and its surrounding spaces. What began as a cramped, dingy, somewhat battered classroom, is now transformed into a sleek, stylish, dignified learning environment.

Walls were added inside the Training Annex entryway, to create separation between the classroom and the large garage section used for dynamic training scenarios. The two spaces connect via a rustic sliding barn-style door, while an added window provides visibility no matter where you are.

The new wall gives the Annex a structured, finished feel that it previously lacked.

Formerly, the classroom was cramped, with a makeshift kitchen area at the back of the room.

The renovations inside the classroom included new flooring, ceiling panels, furniture, and lighting, along with fresh paint throughout. The front of the classroom is accented by a gorgeous 6-foot-wide wood unit with built-in storage and a mounted 55-inch television/monitor, while the back of the room features a colorful SPD-themed mural. The small makeshift kitchenette formerly located at the back the classroom was removed, to more efficiently use the classroom’s space.

A new, modern kitchenette was added just outside the classroom, including a sink with a beautiful new kitchen faucet and stunning blue tile backsplash. Other kitchenette add-ons included a GE refrigerator/freezer and a countertop, which is framed by elegant shelving and cabinets both above and below. A microwave fits neatly on a shelf below the cupboards, to keep the counter space free.

In a happy accident, the paint used on the new walls, in the classroom, and on the barn-door is a gorgeous pale blue, reminiscent of SPD’s historic French blue uniform shirts. The improvements all work together to elevate the training Annex, making it much more professional, aesthetically pleasing, and inviting to students and instructors.

Like the East Precinct Kitchen, this project was done entirely in-kind by Compass Construction and Compass Construction subcontractors. Seattle Police Foundation donors also played an important role, providing the funding for some of the classroom furniture.

SPF would like to thank Frontier Door & Cabinet for the doors, millwork, and cabinets; Ancient Stone Works LLC for the countertops; Advanced Interior Services Inc. for the framing and drywall; Superfloors/Interior Logic Group for the flooring and tile, Independent Electrical Contractors for the electrical work; One Way Plumbing LLC for plumbing in the new kitchen; PaintSmith Co. for the fresh paint; and ARC Document Solutions/Riot Color for the stunning mural.

We are grateful to everyone for their hard work, as are the officers who use this space.



“This is the best thing that’s happened here in 18 years,” said Training Unit Sergeant Corey Lapinsky.

The new classroom is welcoming for students and instructors alike!

The new, more modern kitchenette is located just outside of the classroom.

A new wall with sliding barn-door separates the garage from the classroom and kitchenette.

We are excited to present the 2024 Finest and Furriest Calendar, a tribute to the Seattle Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit.

The calendar uses light and shadow to draw out the natural beauty of the magnificent horses of the MPU. Within the pages you’ll find Police Horses Blue, Felix, Reno, Chance, Doobie, McLovin, and Police Pony Li’l Sebastian looking more beautiful than you’ve ever seen them, plus you’ll learn more about each horse’s distinct personality.

Proceeds from the calendar support the Seattle Police Department Forensic Digital Imaging Section, otherwise known as the Photo and Video Unit. Not only do the digital imaging professionals of SPD preserve and showcase the history of the Seattle Police Department through photos and videos, but they also deploy to crime scenes to capture crucial evidence via forensic photography.

Like other SPD Units, budget limitations hinder this Section’s ability to invest in new technology. The funds raised through the sale of SPF’s 2024 calendar help pay for things like camera equipment, specialized lighting, and more. The calendar is available for $25 and makes a great gift for the equestrian enthusiasts in your life. Importantly, it will arrive in your mailbox in plenty of time for the holidays.  

Order your copies before we sell out! Calendars are available at: Finest and Furriest 2024.



The first round of calendar orders will be fulfilled the week of December 7, 2023, and then periodically through December and January.

On Monday, November 20, we were honored to join Safeway in welcoming members of the Central Area Senior Center to the Rainier Valley Safeway store for a holiday grocery shopping spree with SPD.

This event was made possible by our generous friends at Safeway, who not only hosted the event but surprised each senior shopper with a gift card to pay for their entire cart at checkout. Numerous Seattle community members were served, each leaving with a shopping cart full of groceries and the tab paid in full as well.

Seattle Police Department officers and community service officers had a great time helping community members shop, and spent the morning pushing carts, grabbing items off shelves, and making sure their shoppers located everything they needed.

SPD crime prevention coordinators were also on hand, to talk public safety and answer questions.

We loved being a part of this event and are tremendously grateful to Safeway for its generosity. We’re also grateful to our donors, who make it possible for us to be out in the community building relationships. Thanks to our loyal supporters, we treated numerous guests to custom gift bags featuring a small collection of SPD swag including SPD stuffed K9s, trading cards, and more.

The smiles were contagious! This was such a fantastic way to kick off the holiday week.

Huge thanks to the Seattle Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit, who made a great event even greater! Police Horse Blue, Police Horse Chance, and Police Pony Li’l Sebastian made countless new friends as Safeway shoppers came and went. We’d also like to thank Councilmember-elect Joy Hollingsworth and African American Community Advisory Council Chair Victoria Beach for spending the morning with us.

This was the quintessential example of community-building and we’re so thankful to Safeway for not only bringing this event to life, but for allowing us to be a part of it.

Last but not least, thanks to KIRO 7 News for the great coverage.

A little rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of the 2023 Seattle Police Turkey Bowl players, who took to the gridiron at the Montlake Playfield for an afternoon of competitive flag football.  

The Turkey Bowl, held on Sunday, November 19, was sponsored by the Seattle Police Foundation and coordinated by Seattle Police Department Fitness Coordinator Jeremy Farkas. We are grateful to the generous SPF supporters whose donations enable us to proactively fund events that improve officer wellness and morale, while encouraging fitness and camaraderie. 

"We had officers from around the department participating, from different precincts, units, both veteran and brand-new officers, returning athletes from last year and some new faces," Farkas said. "Everyone had a blast, and the hot food and beverages provided by the Quartermaster post-game warmed us up on that chilly fall afternoon. We were all so appreciative of the support of the Seattle Police Foundation to make this event both possible and a success two years in a row!"

Luckily, the rain squall passed by fairly quickly, so players didn’t get too soggy. 

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to SPD’s Quartermaster Unit, who rolled out the red carpet for both the football players and the spectators by providing hot coffee and coco, chips, water and other beverages, freshly grilled hamburgers, and more. We’re also grateful to Blue Hero Project, who brought custom SPD-themed cookies made by What’s Her Bucket’s Cookies.



Again, thank you for supporting SPF. Gifts from our donors are used to provide the portable infrastructure – a commercial grill, smoker, and more – that the Quartermaster Unit needs to keep officers nourished during special events that require overtime. These items also come in handy during both morale and community events, feeding not only the men and women of SPD, but community members as well. You make this all possible!

Earlier in November we were happy to support the Seattle Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit, as it invested in specialized training for the Unit’s full-time members and its auxiliary riders.

This department-funded training welcomed expert clinician Joe Wolter, who traveled to Seattle from Texas to provide three days of training for the Unit. SPF stepped up to provide breakfast and lunch for the duration of the training.

We stopped by on the third and final day of the training, to grab photos of the Unit and the auxiliary riders. It sure was great seeing all six horses saddled up and in action, and look forward to the day when the Unit is fully staffed!

New in 2023:

Formerly a part of the Special Operations Bureau, the Mounted Patrol Unit is now part of SPD’s Relational Policing Unit, which falls under the umbrella of the Professional Standards Bureau. We think this is a great fit! The highly visible and approachable horses draw the young and old alike, enabling rewarding connections between Mounted Patrol Unit officers and members of the community. Horses are natural peacekeepers, known for their ability to soothe anxiety, reduce stress, and help mitigate trauma.

For more information about the Mounted Patrol Unit, please visit our website.

The next Seattle Police Awards Ceremony takes place March 21, 2024. 

This inspirational evening honors the excellence and bravery of Seattle police officers and civilian staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to keep our community safe. This is an opportunity to show them that their commitment and sacrifice is valued and appreciated.

With staffing at an all-time low, it is clear that SPF’s mission and the need for a public-private partnership is more important than ever. As a community, now is the time to come together and support the great work and people of SPD.

Information on sponsorship opportunities can be found here or by clicking the button below. We have sponsorship opportunities to accommodate all budgets, starting with our $250 Sponsor-an-Officer level and rising up to the $15,000 Title Sponsor level.

Thank you for helping us demonstrate to the men and women of SPD that their work is seen, valued, and appreciated.  

Setting up a recurring monthly pledge is a wonderful way to support our commitment to public safety in Seattle.

For as little as $10 per month, you can join our dedicated community of monthly donors. Setting up a recurring monthly pledge is a safe and simple way to show the men and women of the Seattle Police Department that you support them and have their backs! Your dollars help fund grants for officers, provide updated technology, pay for training, and facilitate community-building programs and events.



Visit our donation page to set up a recurring pledge!