Tacoma Cuts Ties With Chaplaincy Over Manuel Ellis Case

TACOMA, WA — The City of Tacoma has cancelled a contract with the Tacoma Pierce County Chaplaincy, after it was discovered that the chaplaincy had been raising money to support the three Tacoma Police officers charged with killing Manuel Ellis.

Tacoma's contract with the chaplaincy was to create a Community Trauma Response Team (CTRT), a volunteer program that would respond to traumatic events like suicides, homicides and motor vehicle accidents. Through the program, volunteers could be deployed by first responders to help victims process trauma following a loss.

But, as KNKX first reported, community activists with the Tacoma Action Collective recently uncovered that the chaplaincy had been raising money to support Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine — three Tacoma police officers recently charged in connection with the killing of Manuel Ellis in March 2020.

The discovery was met with public outcry and raised concerns from Tacoma's police advisory committee, concerns which ultimately led to the city cutting ties with the chaplaincy, KNKX reported.

In a news release confirming its intention to sever the contract, the city said it is still assessing the next steps for the CTRT program. Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards also told the News Tribune the city was committed to going forward with the program.

“We support the decision by the City to terminate the contract for the Community Trauma Response Team with Tacoma Pierce County Chaplaincy after we heard from the community that the immediate conversation and need for the community has changed rapidly,” Krystle Edwards, chair of the Community Trauma Response Team committee said in a written statement. “We remain committed to working with the community and City staff to find a solution that provides the community the support it needs and work to rebuild stronger community relationships.”

According to Tacoma, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy has worked with the city since 1971 and already responds to more than 1,000 crisis incidents each year, though not all of those are inside Tacoma: The chaplaincy also works with dozens of police and fire agencies from all over Pierce County, like the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Bonney Lake Police, and Gig Harbor District 5.