Council advances ordinance to create 'warrant officer' posts in police department

Federal Way — The City Council voted unanimously June 17 to forward an ordinance creating the position of warrant officer in the Federal Way Police Department, sending the measure to a second reading and possible enactment on July 1.

Deputy Chief Kyle Sumter told the council the ordinance would convert four existing transport-related employees — three transport officers and a jail coordinator — into warrant officers and bring the city’s internal job titles into conformity with recent Washington state law. “It is my privilege to recommend that we create the position of warrant officer, place it within the police department, and do so by city ordinance,” Sumter said.

Sumter said the change does not raise pay for the affected employees. “The only cost we anticipate is changing the shoulder patches,” he said, estimating the department would absorb a small uniform expense. He described the warrant officer status as a legislative fix that allows code cities to create positions that provide law-enforcement-related authority without making them full sworn officers; the chief of police would set training requirements subject to approval by the state Criminal Justice Training Commission.

Council members asked whether the ordinance must specify how many warrant officers the city may have; Sumter said state law requires a number in the ordinance, so staff proposed a cap of up to 10 to allow budgetary flexibility while avoiding frequent code changes. Councilmember Lydia Walsh moved to forward the ordinance; the motion passed unanimously.

What happens next: The ordinance will return for second reading and final enactment at the July 1 council meeting. If adopted, the city will implement the title change and training requirements described in the ordinance.