Susan L. Rahr is an American law enforcement officer who served as the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

King County, Washington King County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of counties in Washington, most populo ...

from 2005 to 2012. Rahr was appointed Interim Police Chief of the

Seattle Police Department The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal police force, law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is responsible for the entire city except for the campus of the University of Washington (which is und ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Mayor

Bruce Harrell Bruce Allen Harrell (born October 10, 1958) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 57th and current Mayor of Seattle, mayor of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. He was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2008 to 2020. ...

on May 30, 2024 and served until January 31, 2025.

Early life and education

Rahr was born in

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie () is a List of municipalities in Wyoming, city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States, known for its high elevation at , for its railroad history, and as the home of the University of Wyoming. The population wa ...

and raised in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the f ...

. Rahr earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

, graduating ''cum laude.'' She also attended the National Sheriff’s Institute and

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

National Executive Institute.

Career

Rahr began her career with the

King County Sheriff's Office The King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) is a local law enforcement agency in King County, Washington, United States. It is the primary law enforcement agency for all unincorporated areas of King County, as well as 13 cities and two transit agenci ...

in 1979. Rahr initially intended on working as a police officer until she had enough money for law school, but later decided against it. Following her promotion to sergeant, she became a patrol supervisor and worked in the Burglary/Larceny, Proactive, Criminal Warrants, and Special Assault Units. Six years later, she was promoted to operations captain. She later served as the commander of the Internal Investigations and Gang Units, and the Special Investigations Section. She was promoted to major in 1997, and was selected to be the police chief for

Shoreline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

in 1998. She was Chief of the Sheriff's Office Field Operations Division for 4.5 years before being appointed by outgoing Sheriff

Dave Reichert David George Reichert ( ; born August 29, 1950) is an American retired police officer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2019. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he served as the sheriff of King Count ...

after he was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. The first woman to hold the position, Rahr was elected sheriff in November 2005. She ran, unopposed for re-election on November 3, 2009, and received 97.45% of the vote. On March 31, 2012, Rahr resigned to serve as the Executive Director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. She appointed Chief Deputy Steve Strachan to fill the position until a new sheriff was elected. Rahr also serves on the Advisory Board of

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington, United States. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academi ...

’s Law and Justice Department. Rahr serves as a regular featured speaker at MPD's DC Police Leadership Academy. On May 30, 2024, Rahr was appointed Interim Police Chief of the

(SPD) by

Mayor

. Rahr was appointed to replace Chief Adrian Diaz, who was removed and reassigned to other special assignments within the SPD. Diaz was removed after he was named by at least six SPD officers in lawsuits against the department alleging discrimination. Rahr will only spend a few months in the role and is not interested in holding the position regularly. Instead, she will collaborate with former SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole to compile a list of qualified semi-finalist candidates for public review.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rahr, Sue Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Washington (state) sheriffs American deputy sheriffs Women sheriffs People from Bellevue, Washington American women police officers 21st-century American women Law enforcement officials from Seattle