After Bite of Seattle shooting, SPD must now update media within 1 hour of any major incident

Seattle is updating its public safety communication rules in the wake of July’s Bite of Seattle shooting that left three people dead and four others wounded.

Mayor Katie Wilson announced Tuesday that she and Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles will be in direct contact during any significant incident. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is expected to provide information to the media within one hour.

The city and police department were criticized for not holding a briefing for nearly five hours after the Bite of Seattle shooting.

“The people of Seattle deserve clear, timely, and accountable communication from their government, and that work gets better today,” Wilson said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Interim Chief Sayles and I have updated how we and our staff communicate. Going forward, we will be in direct contact during any significant event, and he will provide stability and leadership for the department as we search for a permanent chief.”

The mayor’s office said these updated practices “clarify roles, expectations, and coordination between SPD and the Mayor’s Office so there is so there is no confusion or miscommunication about the situation and the press and public receive clear communications.”

“It’s truly an honor to be called upon by the mayor to serve as Interim Police Chief, and I am deeply grateful for the confidence the people of Seattle have placed in me. Rest assured, I am committed to delivering meaningful results for everyone in our city,” Sayles said. “To the community of Seattle: My focus is on ensuring this department is open and collaborative as we can possibly be. We are going to make sure we’re always here for you, working to build strong partnerships between officers and residents that will truly keep our community safe and thriving.”

In a news release Tuesday, the mayor’s office laid out the “key principles” of the new policies:

• Public safety remains the top priority.
• Clear communication roles when SPD leads and when the Mayor’s Office participates.
• Transparent public updates through AlertSeattle, social media channels, and media briefings.
• Expectation of providing information to the media within 1 hour of a significant incident, when it’s safe and possible to do so. This will not delay earlier updates via AlertSeattle or social media channels.
• Coordinated staffing to ensure on-call command and communications personnel are always identified per SPD’s Senior Command and Mayor’s Office Crime Incident Notification Directive.
• Pre-event coordination:
  • SPD will brief the Mayor’s Office on activation plans, command structure, and communications leads.
  • The Mayor’s Office will provide SPD and other emergency partners with lead policy, operational, and communications contacts for the event.

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