Seattle officers can be held accountable for de-escalation practices

Seattle officers’ use of force will be looked at even more closely after the U.S. District Court approved changes to the department’s policies.

On Monday, Judge James Robart approved updates to the Seattle Police Department’s policies that address when officers may and may not use force, as well as the reporting, investigation, and review following use of force.

“Today’s announcement is an important step forward in our Seattle Police Department’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of policing and restore public trust,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. “As our nation grapples with the challenge of improving police accountability and transparency, the department’s reforms, such as our revised Use of Force policy, are helping us become a national model for urban policing.”

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The revisions to the policy are the product of feedback from officers and the community, including the Community Police Commission. The revisions come as part of the annual review of new policies implemented after the Department of Justice’s civil rights investigation. The DOJ found a pattern of excessive force in the Seattle Police Department in 2011, which now requires the department to undergo approved changes.

The policy changes also include creating a stand-alone de-escalation policy, which clarifies that officers can be accountable for failing to attempt to de-escalate a situation that eventually led to use of force. The updated policies also clarify when the use of less-than-lethal “tools” are prohibited, including the consideration of the subject and environment.

“De-escalation provisions were already a critical part of the overall use-of-force policy, and the revisions now call those provisions out as a separate section to clarify that officers can be held accountable when they do not attempt to de-escalate tense situations, as their training instructs,” a statement from the U.S. District Court reads.

The court approved the department’s new use-of-force policy in December 2013. It became effective on Jan. 1, 2014. Officers have since received training on the revised policies.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and City of Seattle, they are required to engage in an annual review of all policies, procedures, and training.

The changes to the department’s use-of-force policy follow reports that Seattle officer Cynthia Whitlatch could be fired for arresting a man carrying a golf club. William Wingate, 70, was using a golf club as a cane, but was accused of using it as a weapon. Wingate was arrested, but later released. Police apologized to Wingate, who ended up suing.

The Seattle Times reports an internal investigation into the arrest found multiple policy violations. Whitlatch will have a chance to defend herself before Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole makes a final decision, the Times reports.