Seattle police officer Ken Saucier mourned

By Michael Ko
Seattle Times staff reporter

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES The flag covering the casket of Seattle Police Officer Ken Saucier is removed for presentation to his wife, Suzanne, who is in the front row with her three daughters, during yesterday's memorial service. Saucier was killed in a car accident last week.

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"He spoke fervently on your behalf," Mayor Greg Nickels told hundreds of Seattle police officers present. "He advocated mightily when he felt you were not being well-cared for, not well represented in city government."

Last Wednesday, Saucier, 40, and a 46-year-old friend were returning from the annual National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio.

Saucier was a nationally ranked pistol marksman and a talented shooting-range instructor for the department.

Idaho State Police investigators think Saucier fell asleep at the wheel near the Washington-Idaho border while driving home from the contest, then overcorrected and rolled his pickup. His friend was not hurt.

	Ken Saucier was hired as a Seattle police officer in June 1985. He became guild president in 2002.

The service, attended by friends, family, law-enforcement officers from around the region and local politicians, was held at Calvary Christian Assembly in Seattle.

Several speakers said Saucier's relentless work on officers' behalf was a hallmark of his time as guild president — and the reason he was so popular with the rank and file.

Saucier was hired as a Seattle police officer in June 1985. He was a plainclothes officer and a member of the SWAT team before landing his dream job as a shooting instructor.

"He put me through my paces on the range," said Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. "He was very polite when he suggested I could improve my score if I put my reading glasses on."

Donations for family A fund has been established for Ken Saucier's family. Donations may be made at any Wells Fargo Bank branch and the Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union.

In 2002, Saucier was elected guild president, becoming the first African American to lead the 1,150-member union. In December, he won a second two-year term.

He took over the guild in the midst of crisis, carrying out a vote of no confidence in Kerlikowske initiated under the previous president, Mike Edwards.

Saucier, who spent several years in Germany with the U.S. Army, was a large man with a quiet, rambling voice and reserved mannerisms in public.

Sgt. Kevin Haistings, guild vice president, said that when Saucier was training to be an officer, his instructors at the police academy were afraid he was too soft-spoken for the demands of the job. Haistings joked that Saucier later became perhaps too direct in his speech.

Saucier was considered a strong writer with a sharp wit, and he used that skill in guild newsletters to sting a wide range of targets, from City Council members to Kerlikowske to the president of the Seattle firefighters union.

	MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES A police honor guard salutes the family of Officer Ken Saucier as they enter the Calvary Christian Assembly of God for the service last night. Law-enforcement officials from around the region attended as well as fellow Seattle officers, city officials and friends.

"Ken began referring to himself as the 'good Kenny' or the 'evil Kenny,' depending on which one of them showed up when he began writing his articles" for the newsletter, Haistings said.

Saucier often found himself at odds with the African-American community, particularly after high-profile police shootings involving black suspects. In most cases, he adamantly defended police against charges of racism.

He once even publicly broached the idea of de-policing — passive law enforcement — as a response to chronic charges of police racism.

A 2002 profile of him in The Seattle Times described the "private Kenny" as "a motorcycle buff, a computer geek, (and) an introverted bookworm." He rode with two motorcycle clubs and enjoyed playing online computer games.

For ceremonies when he became a police officer and when he took over as guild president, Saucier asked his mother to swear him in.

Saucier is survived by his wife of almost 18 years, Suzanne, and their three daughters, Rebecca, Regina and Renee, all of Kent.

A private Mass is scheduled for today.

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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