Deputy Chief Matt Stansfield told the Kent City Council on Tuesday that Detective Andy Richardson received an FBI director's certificate for his role connecting a series of violent home invasions and helping bring a federal RICO indictment. Stansfield said a federal grand jury in August 2024 indicted Kevin Thistle and Christopher Johnson on RICO and related charges tied to violent home invasions across King, Snohomish and Skagit counties, including an Everett homicide. "Detective Richardson played a pivotal role in connecting the cases," Stansfield said, crediting advanced cell‑phone analysis and cross‑jurisdictional coordination with the FBI, Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, Mount Vernon Police and the King County Sheriff's Office.

Stansfield described the alleged crew's pattern: early‑morning forced entries, disabling cameras, wearing black and using tactics to confuse victims. He said adults and children as young as 9 were zip‑tied and that one victim was kidnapped and forced to withdraw cash. The indictment, he said, included armed robbery, kidnapping and the Everett homicide among seven racketeering acts; the charges carry a potential life sentence.

Stansfield also announced department awards: Officer Kevin Bateman received the Chief's Award of Distinguished Service for more than 20 years of peer‑support work and for founding the department's peer support team. The council heard that Bateman is transitioning out of the peer‑support role but remains on the force.

Three officers — Tina Allen, Tessa Melville and James Kittiche — received life‑saving medals for a June 5 response to a reported stabbing near West Meeker and Fourth where officers applied tourniquets and other trauma care. Stansfield said the victim was taken to surgery with a significant brachial artery bleed and survived; the officers "acted quickly applying tourniquets to both arms, stopping blood loss."

No council votes were associated with the recognitions. Stansfield framed the awards as examples of the department's training and interagency cooperation and thanked city staff who supported National Night Out events held Aug. 5. "We had 63 neighborhood events and a lot of new faces," he said, noting public‑safety and community outreach work across departments.