(The Center Square) – A federal judge last week determined that the Seattle Police Department has significantly complied with directives governing use-of-force, investigative stops, and crisis-intervention decisions by officers over the past decade.
Those reforms were part of a 2012 court order, called a consent decree, sought by the U.S. Department of Justice following an investigation into the police department’s policies and practices at the time.
Based on progress since then, the Justice Department and City of Seattle filed a joint motion in March to end a number of provisions required in the decree. The motion was granted last Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart, who found the city’s police department has achieved “sustained full and effective compliance, for at least two years” by meeting certain obligations:
after policy changes and training, the department has reduced the use of “serious force” by 60%, and such force is employed in less than one-fourth of 1% of all events to which officers respond;the department has developed an advanced intervention program in which mental health professionals and non-police mobile teams respond to behavioral health crisis incidents;developed policy and training to ensure officers respect the civil rights of individuals during investigative stops.
“This ruling acknowledges the significant reforms implemented by the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department to ensure effective and nondiscriminatory policing for the community,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said afterward in a press release.
“The court’s order gives the city and police department the ability to focus on the areas that need additional attention. We commend the city, police department and the community for continuing to collaborate on constitutional and non-discriminatory policing which benefits all residents in the City of Seattle,” said Clarke.
The ruling was also lauded by Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell and Tessa Gorman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington.
“Judge Robart’s ruling is a critical milestone in our efforts to reform policing. It recognizes the significant changes in our approach to crime, behavioral health incidents, and professional standards,” Harrell said in a statement issued by the mayor’s office. “I am grateful for the excellent work of our police officers that brought us to this point. I am also thankful for the people of Seattle who have, from the beginning of this journey 12 years ago, wanted a police service that is fair, respectful, and effective in keeping everyone safe in every neighborhood.”
To ultimately resolve the consent decree, SPD must still develop new crowd management policies that have to be approved by the court and an independent monitor. The monitor must also review the city’s accountability systems and provide a plan to mitigate racial disparities in police stops, detentions, and use of force. And the city must continue to measure whether the reforms remain effective.
The mayor said he and police chief Adrian Diaz intend to work closely with the Community Police Commission, the Office of Police Accountability, and the Inspector General to “ensure our civilian-led oversight system is independent and effective in its work to sustain the reforms and compliance that have been achieved.”
Gorman said the Justice Department will also be involved with those entities “to achieve these remaining reforms” while noting, “Hard work remains in how our police confront crowd control and disciplinary action for misconduct.”
The latter topic – discipline for officer misconduct – could hinge on collective-bargaining union talks with the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
Although city and federal officials viewed last week’s court ruling as a positive step forward, other events continue to cloud public perception and trust of the police department and city governance.
New controversy surfaced this week with disclosure of a body camera recording between two police guild leaders allegedly joking about a 23-year-old woman who was fatally struck in a crosswalk by a speeding police car in January. The taped conversation was brought to the attention of Diaz, who referred it to the Office of Police Accountability for investigation.
Turnover in leadership has been an issue for the department. Over the past decade, Seattle has had six difference police chiefs either in permanent, acting, or interim roles, including Diaz, who served as interim chief since September 2020 until his permanent appointment earlier this month.
During this time, the department has weathered a “defund the police” movement mounted by some city leaders, seen over 600 officers resign from the force since 2019, and faced criticism for its response to sometimes-violent local street protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020.
