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For immediate release: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020
Release #20-026 / 125 / 1
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating with the Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team (KCIRT) in its investigation of the Aug. 4 officer involved shooting in the area of Bethel Road SE at the State Highway 16 overpass.
“We appreciate the careful outside investigation of the incident and have followed every procedure as prescribed by the rules that implement I-940 investigations of police use of force,” said Sheriff Gary Simpson. “We take seriously our commitment to transparency in this matter.”
Sheriff Simpson noted the investigation includes two non-law enforcement community representative who will monitor the process per Washington State law.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office has no direct involvement in the investigation. The investigation report will be completed and forwarded to the Kitsap County Prosecutor for review and determination if any further action or charges are warranted. The date of completion of the report has not been determined.
In addition to KCIRT’s independent investigation, the sheriff’s office will conduct an internal, administrative investigation to determine if rules of conduct, policies or procedures were violated. It is standard procedure to initiate an internal investigation after the outside, independent investigation has been completed. The internal investigation is not, however, dependent on the outside investigation or the outcome of any action by the county prosecutor. Rather, it is to examine whether the officer complied with the rules of conduct and professionalism established by the Kitsap County Sheriff to direct all employees in carrying out their duties and responsibilities.
The involved officer in this incident is Deputy Sheriff Andrew Hren. Deputy Hren is a lateral transfer officer, coming to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office in 2016 after serving three previous years with another law enforcement agency.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is accredited by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs which is a process that establishes the professional best-practice standards for law enforcement agencies, as well as ensures the agency is following those standards by conducting a comprehensive onsite assessment.
The KCIRT independent investigation is ongoing and as more information is obtained, a public information officer from KCIRT will provide additional information directly to the media and community.
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