On Tuesday, King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci honored outgoing King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg’s 37 years of service by proclaiming Dec. 6, 2022, “Daniel T. Satterberg Day” in King County.

Satterberg is leaving his position as Prosecutor, and will be replaced by Leesa Manion, who beat Jim Ferrell for the position win the Nov. 8 election.

    • He was born and raised in South King County and attended Highline High School.
    • His father was a lawyer in White Center and his mother was a nursing instructor at Highline Community College.
    • He graduated from the UW undergraduate school (Political Science and Journalism) and the UW Law School.
    • He has two adult children and has been married for more than 30 years.
    • He also plays bass and sings in the classic rock cover band, “The Approximations.”

An excerpt from the proclamation is below:

“WHEREAS, Daniel T. Satterberg has served in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for 37 years, including 17 years as Chief of Staff to Norm Maleng and 15 years as the elected Prosecuting Attorney; and

WHEREAS, Dan was a trial deputy in the Special Assault and Drug Units, and the first gang prosecutor; and

WHEREAS, Dan has spearheaded the transformation of our criminal justice system at the local, statewide, and even national level by bringing racial equity to the forefront, inviting community partners into this critical body of work, developing innovative public health responses, and shining a spotlight on the need to invest in re-entry services; and

WHEREAS, Dan’s successful launch of programs to keep youth in school and out of the courts has measurably advanced juvenile justice reform, and contributed to the number of King County youth in secure detention decreasing from a high of 205 in 2005 to an historic low of 22 in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Dan was a founder of the nationally-recognized LEAD program, which has improved public health responses for people engaged in low-level crimes who struggle with behavioral health challenges in King County and across the country; and

WHEREAS, Dan fundamentally reshaped and strengthened support for victims in King County through increasing the KCPAO’s commitment to intentional victim advocacy and services; and

WHEREAS, Dan was instrumental in cultivating the relationships necessary to effectively respond to gaps in criminal justice practice, advancing initiatives such as the Buyer Beware/Sexual Exploitation Program, the KCPAO’s Sentence Review Unit and clemency practice, Family Intervention and Restorative Services Program, and many more; and

WHEREAS, Dan is not only a respected leader in public safety and criminal justice reform—whose legacy will be felt for generations to come—but is also a leader in rock music who will continue “rocking on” in retirement”