‘I’m not impressed’: Ursula questions light discipline for SPD lieutenant who said police were ‘here to f*** people up’

A Seattle police lieutenant has been disciplined after body camera footage caught him telling officers they were there to “f*** people up.” KIRO hosts Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin think the punishment was too light.

PubliCola reported that Lt. Matthew Didier received a written reprimand for his comments during last year’s counterprotest at Cal Anderson Park.

“We are past talking to people,” Didier said in the footage. “We’re here to f*** people up now.”

Chief chose a written reprimand

Ursula explained on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio that the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found Didier’s comments were unprofessional, escalatory, and disrespectful. The OPA also said the comments seemed to suggest he intended to use force that isn’t allowed.

The OPA recommended discipline ranging from an oral reprimand, the lightest option, to a two-day suspension.

Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles chose a written reprimand. He cited Didier’s minor prior disciplinary history and the department’s policy of progressive discipline. Sayles also acknowledged that the Seattle Police Department’s actions that day damaged trust with Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community.

Gee: ‘It was a dumb thing to say’

Gee watched the video twice and called Didier’s comments unprofessional.

“It was a dumb thing to say,” Gee said. “When you get caught on camera saying something like that, you will help continue to lose some of the trust that people have in law enforcement.”

Still, he doesn’t think Didier should have been fired. Gee looked at what officers did after the comments and said their actions didn’t match Didier’s words. But he thinks Didier deserved more than a written reprimand.

“Maybe he should have got a two-day suspension,” Gee said.

Ursula points to Sayles’ complaint against a detective

Ursula thinks a two-day suspension would also have sent a message to the LGBTQ+ community.

She connected the decision to an earlier controversy involving Sayles. He approved a detective’s request to speak at the pro-LGBTQ “No Hate in Washington” rally last November, then filed a complaint accusing her of dishonesty and insubordination.

Gee said the detective had been given specific instructions about what she could and couldn’t talk about. For Ursula, the two stories together raise questions about Sayles’ leadership.

“If Andre Sayles is someone who wants to be the police chief right now, between these two stories, I’m not impressed,” she said.

Gee agreed that Didier should have faced at least a two-day suspension.

“More than a reprimand, a two-day suspension,” Gee said. “I just didn’t think that they should be fired.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio.