‘Do cops get to decide what laws they follow?’: Spike backs Katie Wilson’s claim to fire officers who defy Seattle’s ICE directive

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has faced pushback for saying she will fire officers who don’t follow her executive order on immigration enforcement. Part of Wilson’s plan directs Seattle police to verify reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity and document any incidents using in-car and body-worn cameras.

KIRO host Spike O’Neill backed Wilson, saying officers who don’t follow the law should face consequences.

“If there’s a standard directive, compliance with that directive is part of your job requirement,” he said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “If a cop doesn’t want to obey the law or follow the directives of the agency, then yeah. How do you keep your job? Do cops get to decide what regulations they follow and don’t follow? They decide what laws they follow and don’t follow?”

Seattle Police Officers Guild president pushes back on Wilson’s ICE directive

KIRO host Jake Skorheim noted that when Wilson originally issued the executive order in January, Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan was furious.

“Toothless virtue signaling rhetoric like this has already cost two people their lives,” Solan stated. “The concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous and will not happen. I will not allow SPOG members to be used as political pawns.”

Jake said the situation feels more political than something Wilson would actually follow through on.

“I don’t know of any cases yet where she’s fired any police officers,” he said. “I’m just wondering if she would actually do that.”

“I would hope so,” Spike responded. “If you’re gonna issue a standard, if you’re gonna institute a policy and then say, ‘Look, if you don’t follow the policy, there will be consequences. You’ll be fired.’ I would hope she’d have the strength of courage of her convictions to follow through on the commitment she’s made.”

Spike reiterated that officers have to follow the law, even if they don’t agree with it. He pointed to a new state law that bans law enforcement officers from wearing masks while carrying out official duties.

“‘My guys aren’t gonna wear masks. I don’t care what the state law says.’ That’s garbage,” Spike said. “You don’t get to decide what laws are. You’re not the supreme commander. If you work for a municipality and the municipality has laws on the books, or standards and procedures, in the guidelines of doing your job, and you don’t want to follow those — get out, see you later.”

“You’d rather they just get fired?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, if you don’t want to follow the law or follow the rules, what kind of community servant are you?” Spike replied.

King County follows Seattle’s lead with its own ICE restrictions

Along with ordering cops to record ICE agents, Wilson’s plan would bar federal agents from using city-owned property for civil immigration enforcement. The month after Wilson unveiled her plans, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay signed an executive order tightening regulations around ICE.

The order allocates $2 million in emergency funding for immigrant and refugee communities to support rent, food, and legal fees. It directs the King County Sheriff’s Office to publish protocols for responding to 911 calls reporting ICE activity. It also, like Wilson’s, prohibits immigration authorities from staging or conducting civil enforcement in non-public areas of county property, including parking lots, garages, and vacant lots.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.