On Friday, November 6, at the 14th Annual Seattle Police Awards Banquet, the late Donnie Chin was recognized with the Community Member of the Year award.
The event’s program book read: “Donnie touched the lives of thousands of people in the International District over his decades of service helping his community and he was in a league of his own. He would later become the founder and director of the International District Emergency Center (IDEC) where he worked to make the community a safer place for everyone to live, work, and visit. For many patrol officers, Donnie Chin was the first person they looked for when they were patrolling their district. He was the on-the-ground ‘eyes and ears’ for real time information regarding criminal activity. Donnie was a man of strong moral conviction and character. One patrol sergeant noted that, ‘Donnie made everyone feel that they were the most important person in the room and each of us felt that we had a unique relationship with him.’
“Donnie was shot and killed this past July in the neighborhood he spent his life protecting. Losing Donnie was a tragic loss to this community, but we remember the life Donnie lived: a life in the service of others. It is with a heavy heart and great pride that we honor this paragon of our community. Donnie is the true embodiment of the Community Member of the Year Award.”
Chin was nominated by Sergeant Don Leslie.
