He thought he wanted to race cars. 30 years later, this Kennewick police sergeant left his mark

A long line of people from across the Tri-Cities waited to wish Sgt. Ken Lattin good luck on his last day with the Kennewick police department.

“It’s very surreal. Thirty years goes by very fast,” he told the Herald after he wrapped up 10 minutes of shaking hands and hugs. “At the end of the day, when you can finish your career and know that you’ve made a difference, you can be happy.”

The longtime police sergeant finished a 30-year career that left a legacy of community involvement highlighted by helping to bring the Every 15 Minutes program to Kennewick. He also worked as a DARE officer, was a traffic officer and served as public information officer.

Lattin’s law enforcement career started in 1989 at the urging of his wife. He had taken criminal justice classes at Columbia Basin College, but was undecided about his career choice.

“I thought I wanted to be a race car driver,” he said. “She said, ‘You need to give this a try. You liked the classes, and my uncle was a cop and my youth pastor was a cop, so as much fun as racing cars would have been, it wouldn’t have been as fulfilling.”

Police Chief Ken Hohenberg said Lattin exemplified the department’s focus on the community. After working as the DARE officer and in the youth services, he joined the traffic unit, where he spent seven years.

At that point he was part of a team that helped introduce the Every 15 Minutes program to Kennewick. It aims to decrease teen drinking and driving by showing them what happens when someone dies. A small group of seniors volunteered to play people who died because of drunk drivers.

Keeping teens away from drunk driving

They are pulled from class, an obituary is read for them and they spend the rest of the event not talking to anyone. Police also present other information about drinking and driving.

The program has been successful in educating high school students and eliminating the DUI-related deaths for that age group, Hohenberg said.

Lattin is most proud of that program, saying adults with children have talked to him about the impact it had on them.

After becoming a sergeant in 2003, Lattin took on several roles, including leading the community services division. He was a longtime public information officer.

Campaign for sheriff

Since his failed run for sheriff in 2017, he’s worked as a patrol sergeant, where he finished his career.

“It’s a young man’s job,” he said. “It’s physically, emotionally and mentally demanding, and I know that I wanted to retire and be able to enjoy retirement with my family and my kids.”

During the past few years he finished his master’s degree and is working on his doctorate. He plans to teach criminal justices classes.

This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 7:11 PM.