Seattle, DOJ reach tentative agreement on police reforms

BY MyNorthwest.com  on July 26, 2012 @ 10:02 am (Updated: 6:18 pm - 7/26/12 )

The Department of Justice and the City of Seattle have reached a tentative agreement on reforms to address a finding that officers have a "pattern or practice" of using excessive force, confirmed Seattle councilmember Bruce Harrell.

Federal officials set a July 31 deadline for an agreement, The Times reported. Lawyers for the DOJ threatened to file a civil rights lawsuit against the city if a deal was not reached.

Both sides are still at the table hammering out details about who will oversee the plan and what exactly a court- monitored consent decree will include, The Times reports.

Reached by phone Thursday, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Bates told 97.3 KIRO-FM he could not comment on the report. He said the city and DOJ officials continue to engage in discussion over reforms.

Mayor Mike McGinn continues pushing the city's proposed "20/20" plan, which calls for 20 reforms over 20 months. Federal officials have characterized it as a "framework" but say it lacks real substance.

A joint statement released by the mayor's office Thursday stated: "The City and the Department of Justice are engaged in extensive and detailed discussions. Those discussions are ongoing."

This is a developing story.

MyNorthwest.com, Staff report
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Comments (4)


  • Add A Comment

  • R L M 456 wrote...
    SO--- since this is a tenative agreement
    July 26, 2012 11:53 am
    that no one can agree on any details ???

    They have really NOT reached an agreement

    Again, nice job of "journalism"

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  • Newton wrote...
    My agreement.
    July 26, 2012 3:15 pm
    Would be to take away thier Guns and replace them with Wooden Guns. They won't act so tough if they had wooden guns. Let the Citizens protect them for once. Since they work for us and need to be reminded often.
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  • tlmbrt wrote...
    Agreement?
    July 27, 2012 12:52 am
    This looks like the same kind of "shotgun" agreement that Penn State got: Do it OUR WAY or else! The criminals will run the streets, because if they are minorities the cops will not be able to touch them for fear of reprisal. I wouldn't be surprised to see a quota system so that arrests are racially balanced. So they couldn't be accused of racism or profiling....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Police Chief David Couper wrote...
    Improving Police
    July 27, 2012 7:19 am
    Why was this important? What is it we should expect from those who police our democracy? For answers to these and other questions about police, I invite you to take a look at my new book, “Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation’s Police.” My blog is at http://improvingpolice.wordpress.com/ where I discuss these and other current police improvement issues. Good luck and may we all experience not just good but great policing!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }