Seattle police guild president criticizes overtime allegations

If Kevin Stuckey works a protest before a scheduled shift, “No one has a problem when I’m overworked — if I’m working a protest that lasted all day — then I have to turn around and go back to work, that’s not a problem.”

However, if the president of Seattle Police Officers’ Guild wants to supplement his income “another way, then oh, OK, now we have a problem?”

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Seattle Mayor Tim Burgess announced this week that he is ending the practice of private companies controlling the practice of moonlighting for Seattle police officers after it was confirmed that the FBI is investigating their off-duty work. He’s also calling for a task force to restructure how the department manages off-duty hours.

As previously reported, the investigation was sparked, in part, by a 2016 audit of the Seattle Police Department. In it, the department’s CFO Brian Maxey admitted that the lack of control of off-duty hours was a growing problem. The department reached out to Blucadia — a private company that manages off-duty jobs for police — in an effort to develop an internal tracking system for the work. But Blucadia met with aggressive resistance and open hostility from some cops in the department with ties to the two private staffing companies.

Stuckey argues that a system for off-duty work is already in place. If it isn’t working, why not just increase supervision, he asks.

The Guild president compares Burgess’ recent executive order ending the practice of private companies directing off-duty police work to former Mayor Ed Murray’s body cam order. In July, Murray signed an executive order that instructs all patrol officers and sergeants to wear body cams. Stuckey argued that the Guild and city were in the middle of contract negotiations when Murray signed the order, essentially sidestepping union negotiations. Stuckey says the guild and city are still in mediation over the issue.

AM 770 KTTH’s Jason Rantz asked Stuckey if he is worried about potential civilian oversight for off-duty work, especially in a city where not all residents have the highest opinion of the police department. He said he doesn’t, because if off-duty work is prevented, “a lot” of events around the city could be hindered.

Stuckey said the union is prepared to fight the changes in court.

Listen to the entire interview with Stuckey here.

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