In the twenty years the Renton Police Medal of Valor had been in existance, it has only been awarded once before...in 1991 it was awarded to officer Larry Strauss for his heroism and sacrifice in protecting Renton office workers from a gunman who may have massacred them. Last night, this medal was awarded a second time, for self-sacrificing heroism in the line of duty, again to Officer Strauss! Records indicate he is the only Police Officer in the state of Washington that has survived being shot twice. We are so blessed to have him in our city, and immeasurably grateful that he survived and is recovering so well from his injuries.


Please read more details in my Dec 2006 entry

All of our council email is public record, and I feel that the public needs better access to it. Therefore, starting immediately, I will ask that my council email be printed and placed in a notebook for public review. I'm optimistic that this will set a positive example for other elected officials, help reduce the number of Freedom of Information Requests, and save taxpayers money. When I shared this idea with Councilman Denis Law, he loved the idea, and immediately told me he wants to do the same thing. The same was true when I mentioned it to Councilman Don Person. I stopped my conversations after speaking with two of them, but I'm hoping other councilmembers will follow suit.


( Click here to read more background on my decision )

We thank God that Renton police officer Larry Strauss was not killed when he was shot in the neck by a career felon earlier this year. Officer Strauss was already one of Renton's greatest heros for preventing a possible massacre at an office building in Renton Center in 1991, even after being knocked down by a gunman's bullet at the scene. In that incident, Officer Strauss was the first officer to arrive in response to a desperate 911 call. Upon arriving at the scene, he was shot by a gunman who was actively stalking/pursuing an ex-girlfriend, and who was about to enter a crowded building to catch her. The bullet knocked the officer to the ground, but because Officer Strauss wore a protective vest and was extremely courageous, he was able to get back on his feet and return fire, preventing the gunman from entering the building. There is no telling how much of a tragedy he prevented.

So tragic that our beloved Larry Strauss would be shot again by another career felon, making him the only living state police officer to endure two potentially fatal shootings

While most people believe most criminals deserves a second chance, this article from the Seattle Weekly shows some of the heartbreak that comes from giving too many chances to certain violent felons. The threat is particularly high with felons who would threaten a police officer, as these felons would have even less concern threatening or attacking an average citizen.

( Read the Seattle Weekly Article Here )