Mayor, chief announce reforms for Seattle Police Department

Seattle’s mayor and police chief have announced a plan for
reform in response to a pattern of abuse within the
Seattle Police Department.

The plan, called 20/20 because it includes 20 initiatives
to be implemented over the next 20 months, “will help
build a great police department that is professional,
accountable, effective, and fair,” according to Mayor Mike
McGinn.

A Department of Justice investigation into the police
department’s conduct was launched following the fatal
shooting of a homeless Native American woodcarver and
other reported uses of force against minority suspects.
The probe was aimed at determining whether Seattle police
have a “pattern or practice” of violating civil rights or
discriminatory policing.

The city’s initiatives, which are independent of DOJ
recommendations expected to be released Friday, are as
follows:

Protecting Constitutional Rights
1. Reform Management of Public Demonstrations

2. Develop Protocols to Prevent Low-Level Offenses from
Escalating

3. Address Biased Policing

Training for Seattle’s Values
4. Train All Officers on Use of Force Standards Consistent
with Seattle’s Values

5. Train Officers in Appropriate Search and Seizure
Practices

6. Improve Supervision by Creating a Sergeant’s Academy


7. Improve Leadership by Creating a Commander Academy

8. Train New Officers to Understand Seattle

9. Improve Review of Uses of Force

10. Develop a Binding, Written Code of Ethics

11. Recruit Great Officers

12. Systematic Enforcement of Professional Standards

13. Enhance Early Intervention Systems

Using Data-Driven Practices

14. Implement a Data-Driven Approach to Policing

15. Work with Major City Police Departments to Develop
Best Practices

Partnering With the Public

16. Listen and Engage with Equity and Dignity

17. Launch a Customer Service Initiative

18. Provide Better Information to the Public

19. Improve Transparency and Accountability

20. Launch a Community Outreach Initiative

The DOJ has been compiling its list of reforms for three
months. It
has found that when force is used, 20 percent of the time
that force violates the rights of suspects.

Federal investigators determined Seattle police engaged in
excessive force that violated federal law and the
Constitution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.