Noted officer leaves Mountlake Terrace Police Department

Published 12:12 pm Friday, February 22, 2008

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Crooks in San Juan County, watch out — officer Julie Jamison is coming your way.

Jamison, 35, is leaving the Mountlake Terrace Police Department to become lead detective for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.

Jamison, who joined the Mountlake Terrace department 13 years ago, is known for her work as the lead detective in the murder of Russian mail-order bride Anastasia King.

Jamison spent 17 months working on the case nearly full time and is credited with securing critical evidence and statements that led to the conviction of King’s husband, Indle King Jr.

“She led that investigation from beginning to end and built a case from nothing,” Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Scott Smith said. “She invested herself personally in that case and spent a lot of time with the family. It became more than just a homicide investigation to her.”

That’s the type of dedication Jamison brings to every case, he said.

During the four years she was a detective, she built dozens of cases by doggedly pursuing leads and patiently sifting through information, Sgt. Mark Connor said.

Jamison returned to the road as a patrol officer in July, where she cemented her reputation as an officer with compassion for crime victims.

“It’s easy just to go in and take the name and get a short story and write it up, knowing detectives are going to take it from there,” Connor said. “Julie has always taken more time, talking with victims and reassuring them.”

Jamison was 21 when she started working for the department, and said it’s hard to leave. Seven generations of her family have lived on the San Juan Islands, though, and she has dreamed of continuing the tradition.

Sept. 14 was Jamison’s last day on the job in Mountlake Terrace. She’ll start work with San Juan County Sept. 26.

Although she’ll be on call 24 hours a day there, she expects a lighter workload. She hopes that will leave more time for boating, fishing and spending time at the beach.

“It’s a quieter, more peaceful way of life up there, and there’s a lot fewer problems,” she said. “Some people are comfortable leaving their doors unlocked all the time.”

Still, she knows that big cases sometimes happen in small communities, such as King’s murder.

“In a smaller city like Mountlake Terrace, you don’t anticipate that something of that magnitude, literally stretching worldwide, can happen,” she said.

The case consumed her, she said. “I was pleased with the outcome, and I hope it brought Anastasia’s parents a small grain of comfort. I know I did the best job I could.” Katherine Schiffner is a reporter for the Herald in Everett.