OL Reign Legend: Sheriff Patti Cole- Tindall – King County Sheriff

The Legends Campaign, a partnership between OL Reign and Starbucks, honors women for their extraordinary contributions to our community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Prior to OL Reign’s match against San Diego Wave FC on July 28, OL Reign recognized Patti Cole-Tindall, Sheriff of King County. 

Cole-Tindall was appointed as Sheriff in May 2022 by Executive Constantine and confirmed by the County Council as the 35th Sheriff of King County, but her path to becoming the third female sheriff and the first black sheriff of King County was non-traditional. 

“Most people in my position grew up in law enforcement and started their careers there very traditionally, but that was not my trajectory,” said Cole-Tindall. “I always knew I wanted to be a public servant; My parents were. My dad served in the military for 26 years and my mom worked for the federal government for 35 years, so I was always around public service. That made it easy for me to know that it was something I really wanted to do.” 

Originally, Cole-Tindall wanted to be an FBI agent, but because she had a nine-month-old son, decided that she would enter local law enforcement. She went through the typical process of entering law enforcement and became a special agent for the Washington State Gambling Commission. She did that for a number of years before serving in other capacities. 

Her extensive experience includes serving as an internal affairs investigator for the County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, and an assistant director of that department’s Community Corrections Division.  At the state Employment Security Department, she was responsible for the regional investigative program that detected fraud and theft of unemployment benefits. 

She also served as a key advisor to the King County Executive and County Council on strategic planning, labor policy development and employment law as the Director of Labor Relations. She concurrently served as the interim director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO), working with staff, the Sheriff's Office, and the public to improve services and promote awareness of the role of civilian oversight in King County. 

“In 2015, I came back to working in law enforcement and end my career services the same way I started. After serving as the Chief of the Technical Services Division for several years, I was asked to be the Undersheriff. Though not everyone was necessarily happy with my appointments throughout this journey, I think people understood a bit more after I proved myself.” 

While she was Undersheriff, Cole-Tindall was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff’s Office together with the team of three Division Chiefs. She oversaw the development and implementation of the King County Sheriff’s Office Strategic Plan and examination and strengthening of the Sheriff’s Office complaint and use of force review processes. 

“In 2020, the voters of King County decided to move from an elected Sheriff to an appointed Sheriff. That took effect on the first day of January in 2022, and I was appointed as the interim sheriff while they ran a nationwide search for a new Sheriff,” she explained. 

“From the beginning of the search, I made it clear that I was fine being the number two. I didn’t need to be the number one, but my staff encouraged me to put my name into the running, as they thought that I was the right person at the right time for the job. So, at the last minute, I applied. I was selected as the sheriff and was just so excited and humbled. It's not lost on me that this is a great honor. I became the first African American sheriff that King County has had and the third female sheriff. In King County, we are very diverse. We are the 12th largest county in the United States and our namesake is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., so to be the first African American Sheriff for the county is very humbling.” 

For Sheriff Cole-Tindall, stepping up into leadership positions throughout her career has been natural. As a self-described extrovert, she recalls being comfortable from a young age. 

"I've always been a natural leader and I've always been the one who volunteers to be in charge. That made it natural and comfortable for me to step into leadership roles. It's just a part of who I am.” 

Throughout her journey to becoming a leader, Sheriff Cole-Tindall has accomplished many things, but impressively, her biggest accomplishment has remained the same for over 30 years. 

“When I had my first government job interview panel, they asked me what my biggest accomplishment was. I thought about it, and I told them that my greatest accomplishment was my son. And I'm going to tell you now, my answer is still the same as it was 32 years ago. I've been a successful working mom since then and have two grown men now. It's so important to recognize that women can do both – they can be moms and they can also be professionals. It's not one or the other. It is possible to do both and do them both well.” 

As an individual that faced adversity through her not-so-traditional journey to becoming a Sheriff, Cole-Tindall shared her advice for young women pursuing a goal or career, especially in a field where they do not see themselves as commonly represented. 

"I mean there are many times in law enforcement where I'm the only female in the room. It’s actually a pretty common occurrence, so I would say to young women, don't let that intimidate you. Whatever your goals are, you know that you can accomplish them, even when you don’t see other people like you.” 

She continued, “As women, there's often this feeling that we have to work harder, we have to work smarter and we have to potentially do more than a male counterpart doing the same job. That being said, I would tell young women to always take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. If they need a volunteer, be the first person to raise your hand and say you'll do it. Even if you don’t know how, you go in there and you learn. It's better to try and fail and to not try at all. Ultimately, I would encourage young women to not shy away from their goals. Don't ever feel less than because you can do it. 

When asked what it means to her to be honored as an OL Reign Legend, Sheriff Cole-Tindall shared that she felt very honored and humbled. 

“To be honored as a legend by OL Reign just means so much. Our professional female soccer team here in Seattle is amazing. I went through the list of those who have been honored previously, and I'm just super humble. I want to thank the organization for honoring me and it just means so much to me on a personal level.” 

As a conclusion, Sheriff Cole-Tindall noted that the King County Sheriff's Office is looking for individuals to come and join their programs, as they currently have over 100 police vacancies. 

"We have joined a national initiative called 30 by 30, which aims to have law enforcement agencies be 30% female by 2030. Now, we have a long way to go because we're only 11% female, but that’s about the national average. So, my shoutout at the end of all of this would be anybody who would is interested in being King County Deputy. Please reach out to us because we’re always looking for good people. You can go to the King County website for more information.”