Seattle police need to adopt early warning for use of force
Mar 11, 2013, 11:57 AM | Updated: 2:07 pm
The court-appointed monitor overseeing reforms at the Seattle Police Department is calling for an early warning system to identify officers prone to excessive use-of-force.
Consultant Merrick Bobb told city councilmembers Monday that police must have a system to spot officers who go astray “so that it is actively looking for and dealing with problems before they become tragedies.”
Complaints about use-of-force are among the reasons the U.S. Justice Department went to court last year to compel reforms at the Seattle Police Department. This week, a federal judge is expected to approve a detailed, first-year monitoring plan.
Mayor Mike McGinn and City Attorney Pete Holmes have butted heads in a power struggle over the monitoring plan. Bobb says he was less “less optimistic” about success until a few days ago. That’s when the mayor agreed to endorse the plan.
“The willingness to talk developed on both sides, we talked, the mayor approves the monitoring plan and we’re off and running,” said Bobb.
The plan is part of a settlement between the city and the U.S. Justice Department over complaints that Seattle police use racial bias in enforcement and display a pattern of excessive force.
Since November, Bobb and members of his out-of-town monitoring team report that they have made six visits to Seattle of three-to-four days each, conducting ride-alongs with officers, visiting each of the police precincts and meeting with command staff. The monitors report they’ve met with 100 community organizations and individuals.
When asked how to measure the success of the reform plan in Seattle, deputy monitor Peter Erlichman told councilmembers that improved trust of police in communities will mean the settlement agreement is working.
“Another indicator of success is whether all use-of-force is being reported, as required by the settlement agreement and thoroughly and objectively investigated,” said Erlichman.
Bobb oversaw reforms at the Los Angeles Police Department under a similar consent decree. He said L.A. is now a “very fine” department, “far different” than before the consent decree, and Bobb told councilmembers the situation in Seattle is “not as dire, by far.”
Bobb expects a federal judge to approve the monitoring plan this week. The monitor’s first report to the court is due in April.
