SPD calls officer’s “make stuff up” comment inappropriate

A cop caught on tape saying he’d make up evidence, didn’t, say Seattle police, but the department says his use of “banter” was inappropriate.

The Office of Professional Accountability investigated the incident and assert that the officer did not “make stuff up,” even though he told one of the arrestees he would.

Of the comment, Seattle Police Sergeant Sean Whitcomb says, “It was agreed it was not appropriate.”

“Certainly we as police do use ruses from time to time to get people to talk to us but then you really have to make sure it doesn’t border on the inappropriate,” said Whitcomb, in an appearance on 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show.

Listen to Sean Whitcomb on Ross and Burbank

According to KOMO 4, Josh Lawson and Christopher Franklin were arrested, but never charged, for an alley attack of a man on Nov. 16, 2010. Police say that while force was used, it was after Lawson and Franklin tried running away from police, and it was all documented, according to Seattle Police standards.

“We come into the area. These two young men, they see us, we see them, they take off at a dead run. It’s not they’re just walking or stopped at a bus stop or chatting in line at a restaurant. They saw our uniformed officers and ran. We contacted them, yes force was used, and they were arrested,” says Whitcomb, adding that the victim identified the two men as the attackers but was not interested in pursuing the matter in court.

Lawson and Franklin have filed a claim against the city for excessive force and wrongful arrest. The two men claim they suffered facial bruising and swelling after being kicked and “man-handled” to the pavement by police.

Seattle Police say that the two were booked on probable cause of a misdemeanor. As for how the arrest was handled, Whitcomb says the whole incident was reviewed. He says the comment happened, and it was inappropriate. But he wants people to know that honesty is incredibly important in the Seattle Police Department.

“In our department,” says Police spokesperson Sean Whitcomb, “you can lose your job for dishonesty and we actually have fired someone for lying.”

“The officer’s comment of ‘I’m going to make stuff up,’ not appropriate. I probably wouldn’t have said it, but he did. It was reviewed,” said Whitcomb. “We handle about 7,000 events a week. This is one event from 2010. We’re not going to be perfect. Not every call is going to be handled perfectly. In some cases, they’re going to be reviewed and investigated. In some cases, officers are going to be found to have done things wrong.”

By MyNorthwest.com staff