Without the hard work of Debra LeRoy, the Kent Police Department could not have started its Weed and Seed program that focuses on high-crime areas on the East Hill.<\/p>\n
In fact, numerous Kent Police programs exist because of LeRoy, a research and development analyst for the police department.<\/p>\n
\u201cDebra epitomizes diligent and hard work on behalf of the taxpayers every day,\u201d Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan said. \u201cShe\u2019s always looking for grant opportunities to leverage dollars for better services.\u201d<\/p>\n
LeRoy, who started work for the city in 1987 as a police records specialist, now spends much of her time as a grant writer. She has brought in at least $4 million in grants and programs to the city in the last several years, Strachan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe never says why we can\u2019t do this, but says \u2018let\u2019s find a way to get this done,\u2019\u201d Strachan said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just finding grants. But she administers the grants and monitors the programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strachan presented LeRoy with the Chief\u2019s Award for Distinguished Service at a City Council meeting last fall because of her exemplary level of work over several years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Weed and Seed program we could not have started without your hard work,\u201d Councilwoman Elizabeth Albertson told LeRoy at the meeting.<\/p>\n
To get federal money for the Weed and Seed program, the city first needed to demonstrate that the East Hill corridor from Southeast 240th Street to Southeast 277th Street and from 94th Avenue South to 116th Avenue South suffered from violent crimes, drug abuse and gang activity.<\/p>\n
Then the city formed a Weed and Seed steering committee with representatives from neighborhoods, churches and businesses in order to apply for a grant from the federal Department of Justice. The city also needed a community center and worked out an agreement with the Kent School District to open a youth center at the Kent Phoenix Academy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the variety and I really enjoy working with stakeholders to put together a project and see it succeed,\u201d LeRoy said during an interview this week at her desk at the police station. \u201cI\u2019ve found my niche here. I enjoy serving the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other police programs that received funds through LeRoy\u2019s help include the annual youth conference Game of Life; liquor-control compliance checks at local businesses; bicycle patrols; and substance-abuse treatment programs at the city jail.<\/p>\n
Councilman Ron Harmon said he enjoys it every time he sees LeRoy at a city Public Safety committee meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a thrill whenever you come to a public safety meeting because when you show up I know there\u2019s money coming in,\u201d Harmon told LeRoy after she received the chief\u2019s award.<\/p>\n
LeRoy, who grew up in Renton, joined the Kent Police as a records specialist after a property-management job ended. She worked about five years as a records specialist and five years as a records supervisor before taking on her current job in 1998.<\/p>\n
LeRoy earned a business administration degree from the University of Washington and then went on to a master\u2019s degree in public administration from Seattle University. She focused on written communication skills at the UW and took a grant-writing class at Seattle University.<\/p>\n
She also keeps her grant-writing skills sharp by attending workshops regularly.<\/p>\n
As critical as it has been to the operations of her department, the grant-writing element of her job didn\u2019t happen overnight. Rather, LeRoy gradually learned the ropes of how to successfully apply for government funding, and to represent her department\u2019s projects to outside agencies for assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was kind of trial and error at first,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n
Outside of work, LeRoy lives in Renton with her husband, Ken LeRoy, who works for Foss Tug in Seattle. They have been married 27 years. They own a 34-foot yacht and enjoy trips to the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia.<\/p>\n
Once LeRoy retires from the police department, she plans to run for the Renton City Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to stay involved in local city government,\u201d LeRoy said.<\/p>\n
LeRoy also has served several two-year terms as president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2617 union that represents nearly 150 city of Kent employees. Her most recent term ended in December. She said she does not plan to be president again.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, LeRoy stays plenty busy trying to find more grant money for her department.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work, but she doesn\u2019t view it as just a job,\u201d Strachan said. \u201cShe\u2019s truly involved and connected to programs such as the Weed and Seed program as an alternative to kids to help keep them out of gangs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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