East African Advisory Council
Upcoming Meeting Dates in 2025:
- TBD
2025 Agenda:
- SPD Facility Tour.
- Living Room Conversation & Coffee with Cops.
- Fieldtrip to the Seattle Aquarium.
- Fieldtrip to the Woodland Park Zoo.
To get involved, contact: spd_east_african@seattle.gov
About the Council
The East African Advisory Council to the Seattle Police Department (SPD ) was created in 1997, and is one of ten councils that work collaboratively with the police. The council structure brings the diverse population of the East African communities together to meet with the SPD on a regular basis for the purpose of increasing communication between the East African communities and the Department. The diversity of viewpoints represented within the group helps the Department gain a thorough understanding of the issues the East African communities are faced with.
Our Areas of Focus
- Increase East African community members' participation in the Advisory Council and maintain an active Council that promotes building ongoing reciprocal communication between the East African communities and the SPD.
- Establish a forum to address and manage concerns regarding changes the SPD may be seeking to implement.
- Promote and encourage cultural competency training for officers while expanding the communities understanding of the practices and policies of the SPD.
- Engage, strengthen, and mentor One Voice youth and strengthen communication efforts between East African parents and the SPD.
- Develop strategies for making police services responsive to the needs of the members of the East African communities.
- Encourage police recruitment in the East African communities.
- Outreach to new arriving immigrants and refugees from East Africa.
Council Liaison
My parents immigrated to the United States from Jordan. I was born in the US and have lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest. My ancestry is from the Caucasus region of Russia, which was predominantly Islamic at the time. The region was independent until Russian expansion in the mid-1800s. Following the genocide of the native people of that region, many fled to the Levant (eastern Mediterranean), where they were accepted as refugees. My ancestry eventually ended up in Jordan.
Growing up, I had a strong desire to help my community and a passion for criminal justice. I pursued a career in law enforcement and was hired by the Seattle Police Department. After the events of 9/11, I was asked to assist in our outreach program with the Muslim community. We were successful in our efforts and built bridges with the community, leading to collaboration with federal agencies to resolve community issues. When the liaison officer for the East African community moved on to other projects, I was asked to assist this community. It was challenging to learn about the numerous nations, ethnicities, and religions that make up this community, but they were willing to accept me and educate me. I have worked with the East African community off and on for over 15 years.
In my continued work with this community, with the support of our Chief, I hope to:
- Increase the community’s participation with law enforcement.
- Provide non-enforcement forums to address the community’s concerns.
- Encourage cultural intelligence within the Department.
- Promote recruitment within the community to foster diversity within the Department.
- Reach out to immigrant communities to create a better understanding of this country’s criminal law.
Yanal Vwich
Lieutenant - East African Liaison Officer
yanal.vwich@seattle.gov
Council Liaison
Sergeant Matthew Roberson started working for the City of Seattle in 2007 as a teen program leader at South Park Community Center. At the end of 2012, he joined the Seattle Police Department and worked patrol in the South Precinct before he transitioned into the Relational Policing unit where he is currently Assigned. He focuses on violence prevention, intervention, and relationship building activities with young people often working in collaboration with various youth serving agencies. He leads talking and education programs, mentor’s youth, participates in community events, demographic advisory councils and he organizes a wide variety of Seattle Police Activities League (SEAPAL) activities.
Seattle Police Activities League (SEAPAL) is a proactive, prevention-oriented strategy which relies on the cooperation, coordination and building of relationships between youth, police and community through recreation and cultural enrichment. SEAPAL focuses on providing youth 5-18 years of age the opportunity to be a part of a variety of programming activities with police officers serving as coaches, mentors and role models. SEAPAL is integrated into the Seattle Police Department Youth Outreach and Violence Prevention Unit. This created another avenue to be invested in the growth of young people in the City of Seattle. SEAPAL and the Seattle Police Department has begun to leverage existing partnership with local community based organizations and other city departments to provide the programming into our local micro communities. The initial activities for SEAPAL include Flag Football, Basketball, Soccer, Youth Police academies, and a Mountain Bicycle Program. The Seattle Police Department served 400 youth in 2016 through these activities.
Matthew Roberson
Sergeant - East African Liaison Officer
matthew.roberson@seattle.gov