Seattle police taking extra safety precautions after Baton Rouge shooting, O’Toole says

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole issued a statement following Sunday’s shooting in Baton Rouge that left three officers dead and three more injured.

Once again our nation has been rocked by a senseless tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with our brother and sister officers in Baton Rouge, their families, and the communities they serve.

In Seattle, we have taken additional safety precautions, both in terms of officer deployment and security at our facilities. We will continue to monitor national events and work closely with our federal partners on risk assessment and mitigation. We will adjust our response accordingly.

Sincere thanks to the dedicated, hard-working men and women of the SPD who put their own safety at risk each day to make our community safer. Also, thanks to our Seattle community for the overwhelming support you have demonstrated during these very challenging times.

O’Toole directed Seattle police to work in pairs whenever possible after five Dallas officers were killed on July 7. The Seattle Times reports that before the Baton Rouge incident, the SPD was monitoring results to see if that order could be scaled back. O’Toole told the Times Sunday that the pairing system will continue for “the foreseeable future.”

“This is the most difficult time in policing since I’ve been in the business,” O’Toole told the Times. “Sadly, I did witness significant threats to police when I was working in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, police there had to work in highly secure facilities that looked more like fortresses than police stations. My hope is to never have that situation here. We want our facilities to be welcoming to the community.”

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray also issued a statement following Sunday’s shooting.

“My thoughts go out to the families of the officers victimized by today’s tragedy in Baton Rouge, and to the entire law enforcement community of this nation.

Once again, it appears that the demonization of a group of people has led to fatal violence. Once again, it appears that members of the law enforcement community have been gunned down because of the community they belong to. Once again, it appears that an assault rifle was used to make a political point.

This violence must end. Our country, our communities cannot become places where peaceful democratic discourse is replaced by slaughter.

As I have said, this is a vital moment in our history, and we cannot allow our reaction to these tragic events feed the very elements of fear and anger and extreme rhetoric and the stigmatization of others that is driving this violence in the first place. We must use this moment, actively and deliberately, to defuse tensions and build trust, throughout this country and in each and every community, including here in Seattle.

I want to thank the men and women of the Seattle Police Department for your service to our community. Your city appreciates and values your commitment and your readiness to answer the call of duty and keep us safe.

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