Ellensburg police outline Handle With Care youth-referral program and new graffiti-abatement partnership

Ellensburg Police Department representatives on March 3 told the City Council at a study session that two community- focused programs — a Handle With Care youth-referral system and a graffiti-abatement partnership — are operating now and will expand across Kittitas County.

The Handle With Care program flags incidents in which law enforcement or other first responders have contact with a household that includes a child, notifies the child’s school security staff and offers an automatic referral to the CWU Community Clinic for children ages 12–17. “We recognize that we’re not gonna be able to arrest our way out of crime,” Ellensburg Police Chief Ken Wade told the council, framing the programs as preventive alternatives to enforcement.

Dr. Carr, an analyst with the Ellensburg Police Department who presented the program details, said officers enter a simple code into department records when a child is involved. Those entries are compiled daily and matched to school and guardian contact information so the clinic can offer no-cost mental health support. “When it comes to the amount of cost for that program, which so far has been 0, no cost at all other than just our time,” Dr. Carr said, describing the current resource impact on the department.

Dr. Carr said the program expands the typical Handle With Care model used elsewhere by including all children who are present during an incident — witnesses, participants and, in some cases, arrestees or suspects — and by routing referrals directly to the CWU Community Clinic. The clinic, Dr. Carr said, will contact the parent or guardian; the child is not contacted by police and no case details are shared with schools beyond a brief note that the child may need additional support. Dr. Carr said the department preserves privacy by limiting who sees case details and by using only aggregate counts to monitor outcomes.

Program data presented to the council show 193 incidents flagged “to date” and 53 children flagged in February; Dr. Carr said the clinic’s quarterly report credited 13 children with receiving help they otherwise would not have had. The initiative began in the fall: Dr. Carr said work began in November, with an initial incident that dated into October prompting the first automatic referral.

Privacy and participation. Council members raised privacy and parental concerns during the study session. Dr. Carr said the CWU Community Clinic contacts guardians and that clinic staff — identified in the presentation as licensed practitioners — handle follow-up. “As soon as the referral is given to Michelle, that’s where my role stops,” Dr. Carr said, indicating Ellensburg Police do not track case-level outcomes. She added the schools’ role is limited to supportive contacts only and that school staff are not to act as investigators.

Collaboration and expansion. Presenters said the program is already coordinated with multiple partners, including Kittitas County agencies, Cle Elum and Roslyn police, the county sheriff’s office, juvenile probation, the prosecutor’s office, ESD 105 and school security officers. Dr. Carr said the team is inviting additional community groups, including CASA and Boys & Girls Club, to plug into outreach and intervention work.

Graffiti-abatement partnership. The presentation also described a graffiti-abatement program the department is launching with the Ellensburg Morning Rotary Club. Under the proposed arrangement, property owners who report graffiti can receive volunteer cleanup help coordinated by the Rotary; the presenters said they are negotiating a memorandum of understanding and are seeking donated paint through local suppliers. Dr. Carr said the Rotary will coordinate volunteers and that, when volunteers are available, the service will be provided at no cost to property owners.

Officials said the program is intended to reduce community blight and to remove possible gang graffiti that can signal territorial claims. Dr. Carr said officers will still take reports for enforcement purposes, but that cleanup and community response can be handled separately through the volunteer program.

Next steps and community role. Presenters outlined next steps including finalizing the Rotary MOU, scaling Handle With Care countywide and scheduling community education sessions on youth risks and gang awareness. Chief Wade said he hopes a broader community rollout can be achieved on an accelerated timeline, noting a training component for partners is required. Dr. Carr urged residents to report graffiti to the nonemergency line and to engage with children in the community; she said program outreach materials will be distributed on social media and via the department’s website.

There were no formal votes or binding council actions recorded during the study session on either program; presenters characterized both efforts as department-led initiatives that will rely on partner agencies and community volunteers for broader implementation.