Here is a list (with bios) of the people on the search committee evaluating potential candidates for the new Chief of Police in Seattle. The search committee will submit to the Mayor up to five candidates for the position. Those candidates will then complete a written examination, and the Mayor …
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State Attorney General’s Model Use of Force Policy for Law Enforcement Agencies
Today the Washington State Attorney General published a model “use of force” policy for agencies to use to guide them in adopting their own policies. The model policy, at least in part, attempts to provide guidance on how to meet the recent changes to state law related to officers’ use …
Continue readingKing County Auditor review of Sheriff’s Office racial disparities
This week the King County Auditor released a report detailing its analysis of racial disparities within the practices and operations within the King county Sheriff’s Office. The top-level finding of the study is that the King County Sheriff’s Office does not collect and retain the kind of data that would …
Continue readingSPD officers’ and Seattle’s request to block video livestream at Charleena Lyles inquest
As reported by Axios Seattle this morning, the two police officers involved in the shooting of Charleena Lyles in her apartment have requested that the Administrator of the inquest prohibit live-streaming video of the inquest as well as the media taking an publishing photographs of their faces during the inquest …
Continue readingWashington Supreme Court ruling: State vs. Sum
This morning the Washington State Supreme Court handed down a ruling that rewrites the rules for “Terry stops,” when a police officer interrogates a person without a warrant. At issue is the point at which an individual being interrogated by an officer becomes “seized,” i.e. they believe that they are …
Continue readingKing County plan for City Hall Park
As reported by the Seattle Times this morning, the King County Executive prepared a report in January on what it would do to address safety and security concerns in City Hall Park and to establish a hygiene center nearby, should the transfer of the property from the City of Seattle …
Continue readingSPD Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Unit Staffing Memo
As first reported by the Seattle Times, in April SPD Sgt. Pamela St. John sent this memo to Interim Chief Adrian Diaz detailing the extreme understaffing in the department’s sexual assault/child abuse investigations unit, and the impact that it is having on the unit’s ability to complete investigations. I hope …
Continue readingGallup poll on police reform
Last week Gallup released the results of a recent poll on Americans’ views on reforming police departments. According to the poll, the vast majority of Americans believe that there need to be reforms, though there is a split between those who prefer major reforms versus more measured ones. More Black …
Continue readingSeattle City Attorney Criminal Division Quarterly Report
The criminal division of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office has published its first quarterly report on the activities in the first three months of 2022. It contains an unprecedented amount of detail, in charts and graphs, on the case referrals from SPD and the ones that were declined, further broken …
Continue readingNew proposed contract with SPD supervisors’ union
The City of Seattle has negotiated a new contract with SPMA, the union representing SPD lieutenants and captains (as opposed to SPOG, the union representing frontline officers and sergeants). Most of the changes relate to wages and benefits, not the issues that are sources of ongoing friction between SPOG and …
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