Mayor Harrell seeks court approval to end federal oversight of Seattle Police

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has filed for federal court approval of the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) revised crowd management policies and seeks termination of the Seattle police consent decree, the Office of the Mayor announced Tuesday.

Harrell outlined various reforms that have led to safer interactions between police and the community, including the rare use of force, de-escalating crises, department accountability, and effective crowd management techniques.

“Today, the city attorney submitted our request to fully close out this agreement based on SPD’s strong record of improving training, policies, practices, and accountability,” Harrell said. “An end to the consent decree does not mean the work is done – we are committed to being a learning, growing organization.

Beginning of Seattle police consent decree

Seattle entered a settlement agreement in 2012 with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) following an investigation that estimated 20% of serious use-of-force incidents were unconstitutional.

The consent decree required the City of Seattle to implement extensive policy, training, management, and operational changes to its policing to deliver police services that ensure public trust, officer safety, and promote public confidence in SPD.

“The Seattle Police Department’s work to pursue public safety and safe neighborhoods for everyone should be recognized, and we are asking the Court to confirm that the Seattle Police Department has completed all requirements set forth by the Court since 2012,” City Attorney Ann Davison stated via the mayor’s news release.

Judge James L. Robart oversaw the agreement and found that the city had achieved initial compliance with the consent decree in 2018. However, in 2020, during the mass protests throughout Seattle, it was concluded that SPD, at times, did not follow the use-of-force and de-escalation policies mandated within the consent decree.

A critical milestone was reached in 2023 when Judge Robart ruled that SPD maintained the core requirements of the decree and identified the final steps.

In 2024, analyses found the total use of force was less than one-fifth of one percent (0.17%) of all dispatches, and the majority of those uses of force were at the lowest possible level.

“Many individuals inside and outside the Seattle Police Department have devoted years to implementing constitutional policing in our city, resulting in our motion today,” Davison stated.

After multiple years of reviews by federal monitors and Seattle’s Office of Inspector General, the consent decree has resulted in the overall use of force now being a rarity, and the possibility of unconstitutional force, which led to the consent decree, has ended.

“After more than 12 years and countless reforms within the Seattle Police Department, this step of requesting the consent decree be lifted marks a major milestone for both the department and our community,” Seattle City Council member Bob Kettle, who serves as chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, stated via the release.

Harrell submitted legislation with updated crowd management policies in early 2025, and it was passed by the city council and signed into law. The policy included new rules that prohibited the use of less lethal tools in crowd management settings unless an imminent risk of injury or property damage is present.

Improvements made by SPD

SPD has improved interactions and outcomes with people in crisis, which included establishing a specialized crisis response unit and in-depth training for all SPD officers.

Additionally, SPD made fundamental changes to its crowd management policies and practices after the massive protests in 2020.

The changes included a focus on protecting First Amendment rights, new decision-making tools and tactical roles, the creation of the Police Outreach Engagement Team (POET), which meets with event organizers, strong protections for media and legal observers, and a first-in-the-nation policy regarding the use of ruses in policing.

A new requirement was also created for all SPD officers to complete eight hours of crisis intervention training annually. Another option is available for SPD officers to take a 40-hour advanced crisis intervention course, which 60% of officers have completed.

“My hope is that Seattle can soon move forward, turning our full attention to the future of policing and better serving our residents,” Kettle said. “The city has accomplished so much by working together collaboratively with stakeholders. We have full faith and confidence in our accountability partners to take on the responsibilities of oversight and the police department’s continuous improvement.”

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