This is truly frightening.

With this last year behind us, it seems not much surprises me anymore, but we need to sound the alarm on this one. This is happening in our schools here and now.  A friend from Redmond messaged me in a panic that she recently learned about “Plugs” on Snapchat and Instagram.  I had never heard of this. Her daughter’s 12-year-old friend used a 'plug' to buy weed in Kirkland.  TWELVE.  Buying drugs quickly and easily online using social media platforms that don’t have a paper trail.  These dealers/fellow students/adults that are selling these products apparently will come to your house or a nearby meeting spot so you don’t have to know how to drive, or even leave the comfort of your pandemic pajamas.  Nobody knows what they are REALLY buying and putting in their bodies, not to mention the buyers are often minors  10-15 years old.  When I asked my 15yo son if he knew what a ‘plug’ was, he said he did.  And so do my friends’ children when they asked.  This trend is alive here in Kirkland/Seattle at this very moment.

This video in this UK article is worth watching. https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7j75k/buying-pills-coke-mdma-instagram-snapchat?fbclid=IwAR1-K4L6FNWUT7Sm_nPeCe28TK5NoxVcT2lrHyL7t4xePj77tz4NwvthDkY

How do we as a community help prevent this troublesome trend from escalating?  Education, prevention, regulations, let's get this on the radar of every leader and influencer.  Many have not even heard of it yet. So pick your jaw up off the floor and let's go.

I had lunch with Eric Olsen last week, for old time's sake, since we haven't done that since he was first appointed as Kirkland's Chief of Police back in 2007, and he has announced his retirement at the end of Sept.  Where does the time go?! It made me chuckle...you know we're both Kirkland people when we sit down at Cactus and neither of us needs to open our menu.  And then we order the same thing (steak salad, of course!). 

Chief Olsen's presence is one that is calm, confident and approachable. He's a people person, who tells lots of great stories about his family (the triplets are grown now!) and his officers and leadership that he has great respect for.   Eric appreciates this very special community and the support the police department receives, which as we know, is not the case everywhere.  After 33 years in public safety, he assures us that he is leaving us at point where everything is running smoothly and will be left in good hands. It will be the City Manager's job to decide on our new Police Chief with input from Council and members of the PD.  They may promote from within or conduct a search. 

On Olsen's watch, we have gotten through annexation and therefore a significant growth of our police force. We have 100 officers now.  The PD also moved to the new building which has its own lead-free range and a fully restored 1948 police car in the lobby.  Chief Olsen's proud that they are fully staffed with very low turnover (b/c who would want to leave Kirkland?).  He worked hard on making changes to officers' shifts--going from 12 to 10 hours so they can have a better quality of life. 

So, what's next for Chief Olsen? He will be in charge of sales/customer service in the Northwest for Zetron out of Totem Lake that does communication systems for public safety.  Thank you for your service, Chief, it's been a good run.  Kirkland appreciates all of your hard work.  And why not end with a selfie?

And also apparently an announcement that our Fire Chief, Kevin Nalder, has resigned. 

It must be peak season for burglars in Kirkland.  In the past week I have heard about multiple neighbors having their LOCKED mailboxes broken into.  Apparently tax season means checks in mailboxes , and even the ambitious thieves aren't deterred by locking mailboxes.....they just come equipped with screwdrivers to pry it open.  So if you don't have a locking box, it might be a good time to get one, as I'm sure they take the path of least resistance first.  Always remember to get your mail every day.

Just today (Fri around 2:00) the KPD chased down two suspected burglars near a home on 20th Ave that had taken off on foot.  Canines  and choppers were in pursuit and finally found the bad guys up in a tree.  Kirkland Middle School was in a lock-down while this situation was unfolding.  One of my daughters said an announcement came over the speaker that they were in a lock-down (she noted it was not a 'modified lock-down' which is the announcement when they practice this drill). She said she was scared and sat w/her entire class on the floor for about 40 minutes while their teacher read them stories to keep them calm.  School let out at the normal time and an update announcement was made to let them know what had happened. Shortly thereafter, we received a note from the school Associate Principal explaining the situation.  Luckily, kids and neighbors were safe.  Thank you Kirkland PD. And for all of you, always a great idea to practice your emergency procedures within your household a few times a year.  Never forget to lock up and keep valuables out of sight of your windows in your homes and vehicles.  If you see suspicious activity, call 911.  Don't hesitate.  Go with your gut, it's usually right. ;-)