On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, the Kent Police Department issued the following statement regarding police response time in a recent homicide:
“We are deeply saddened by the senseless murder of Amber Keith on June 14, 2021 and want to express our condolences to Amber’s family.
“We have received questions regarding police response time. Both the Kent Police Department and Valley Communications Center are reviewing the incident to determine if appropriate protocol was followed, including what information was relayed to the officers. What we can confirm now is that at around the same time that the 911 call was placed by the security officer at Ramada Inn, police units assigned to the area were also dispatched to another emergency medical call, involving a male with a knife. Additionally, there were other 911 calls in queue, waiting for available officers who were actively assigned to other calls.
“All of these things were contributing factors in the time it took for officers to respond.
“Kent Detectives are conducting an ongoing investigation into the homicide and have made an arrest. Murder charges have been filed.
“Both Kent Police and Valley Communications endeavor to provide the appropriate response by emergency personnel to all 911 calls, but particularly so for emergency 911 calls.”
That was a pretty vague response as to why after an hour of phone calls about an active murder police never responded at all…..until after the murderer called to say the girl was dead