To protect, serve and sing

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, December 20, 2003

EVERETT — Don’t tell Everett Police Detective Lester Letoto that you can’t carry a tune. That you frighten your children when you sing along with the radio.

Everybody can sing, he said. Even cops.

The 15 members of the Everett Police Department choir were musical novices when Letoto and another officer started the group in 2001. A few sang in church choirs. Some played an instrument in high school.

"Everybody was really shy about singing out in front of each other, and our voices were a little rusty," said soprano Jennifer Short, a department records specialist and reserve officer.

"Thanks to Lester, we learned how to blend well together, and our voices became stronger. We sound like a different choir now," she said.

The choir, called the Thin Blue Line, now has an impressive musical range and a polished sound, with its four-part harmonies pitch-perfect in the Christmas songs they’ll perform tonight.

At the Lights of Christmas festival in Stanwood, the choir will sing holiday tunes and patriotic favorites such as "God Bless America." They’ll also do a few memorial songs, including "You are Mine," which honors officers who’ve died in the line of duty.

The group recorded the same program at KRKO (1380 AM) Radio Tuesday night for a broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Letoto said he’s heard of other choirs at larger police departments in the United States and Europe but believes the Thin Blue Line is the only police choir in the state.

"Nobody thinks that a bunch of police officers would have a choir," he said. "People have a conception of what law enforcement officers are based on what they see on TV. This is a bridge between that. It’s a reminder that these are regular people with families and kids."

The music is also a release from the stresses of law enforcement, choir members said.

"It gets you away from all the negative aspects of law enforcement, and it feels good to be together having fun," Letoto said. "In a way, it’s healing."

Letoto, a tenor, has sung since he was a boy. The detective took several years of voice training from a Seattle singer who performed opera in Europe. He used to sing in five choirs, but has cut down to three.

Convincing other cops, department staff and retired officers to join the choir was tough, he said.

"Some of them had never seen a note before," Letoto said. "We had to go and grab them and sell them on it … I kept saying, ‘We’ll teach you to sing.’ "

The group’s members practice every Tuesday night, honing their voice control, breathing and performance skills.

The work has paid off. The choir sings at community events throughout the year, including the department’s senior dinner and officer memorials.

"We all love to sing and entertain others," said retired officer Jim Kamada, who suggested the choir to Letoto. "Lester has picked out some great songs for us. When you hear the blend of our voices when we’re practicing, I feel blessed."

Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.