North Bend police department begins work April 1

Published 2:16 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026

The city of North Bend will officially have its own police department starting April 1.

Last May, North Bend City Council chose to contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) for police services. Since then, the city has been working to hammer out the details and prepare for the transition, as police services currently come from the city of Snoqualmie.

North Bend’s new Police Chief Ed Hall said the transition will be complete and Snoqualmie will be “completely divorced from the equation” starting at midnight April 1.

According to a February news release, preparations include the transition of dispatch communications, records, policies and staffing. North Bend is also redesigning the police substation at North Bend Premium Outlets and has renovated a city building to be the department’s headquarters, right across the street from the North Bend Library.

Residents can expect to see 12 police vehicles marked “North Bend” around town. Hall noted that residents may still see other police vehicles in instances such as when an officer from another KCSO department picks up overtime in North Bend.

While North Bend officers will only patrol within city limits, the unincorporated areas of King County near North Bend will still have two patrol cars assigned to them. Additionally, North Bend officers can respond to calls outside city limits if needed.

At all hours, the department will have one officer minimum on duty. From 6 a.m. to midnight, there will be at least two officers on duty. The “graveyard” shift, from midnight to 6 a.m., will only have one officer. At certain times of day, shifts will overlap and there will be up to four officers on duty.

In total, the North Bend department will have 10 staff: Hall, one dedicated detective and 10 officers.

While recruiting these officers, Hall said he’s been looking for and getting applications from people with ties to the Snoqualmie Valley. He said his vision is for officers to truly know the community.

“You will know the people in your community, and the community will know you,” he said he told recruits. “You’re not going to sit in your car and just drive around and patrol. You’re going to get out. You’re going to get to know the people that own businesses, the people in the schools, the neighborhoods, all that.”

Hall grew up in North Bend and attended Mount Si High School, and he now lives in Fall City with his family. Before this opportunity came along, he was looking to retire, but he couldn’t say no.

“This means something to me,” he said. “It’s not a stepping stone to something else. This is kind of my end game. This is what I’ve always wanted to do.”