‘Astoundingly Critical’ DOJ Report Finds Widespread Use of Excessive Force by Seattle Police

Well it's not like we haven't been saying so but finally, legally this particular PD is being held accountable for it's bad behavior.

Updated: Federal officials warned Seattle's mayor and police chief at a closed-door meeting last night that the city must either correct officers' widespread and routine use of excessive force or face a civil rights lawsuit.

The U.S. Department of Justice has been looking into the city's police force for nearly a year at the request of the U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan and others, the Seattle Times reports.

The report found that a relatively small number of officers accounted for much of the problem, as well as inadequate supervision and a lack of effective procedures for reporting and correcting issues, according to the PI and a new Seattle Times article, which notes that the DOJ report mentioned "serious concerns" about the way minorities are treated.

Source

The article notes that it's a small number of officers causing the problems. I disagree, ignoring the problem is almost just as bad.

I wish we'd also get "warnings" when we break laws like many police officers do.

I'm not going to hold my breath on anything changing anytime soon.

reply to post by Kali74


Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Who are the feds to talk about excessive force? Clean your own house first before talking about another. I agree that the they are probably telling the truth about police using excessive force. However after the record the feds have this is a laugh. Who is going to investigate them Holder ? He who is the defender of American Justice. I guess the same way he has investigated and dealt with Fast and Furious. What a joke.

reply to post by redrose123


Right, only feds can use excessive force, because they can actually do it without media coverage, and can cover it up better than state and local authorities, also, only the feds can ignore constitutional rights to run surveillance on anyone, arrest, interrogate (violently and abusively) and detain indefinitely without any due process.

The states are not equipped, nor trained to do these things and should be punished for their gross incompetence.

Well it has to start somewhere. Someone(s) with the actual authority to do so has put this PD in check and it will hopefully set a precedence nation-wide and I think it is because many are no longer being silent. I don't wish to put the DOJ on a pedestal here because I think it is the social media (people) refusing to accept injustice that has forced the DOJ's hand. Appreciate it but don't get lax. Keep exposing the lies and the crimes anyway you can.

Oh this is just priceless. The same Dept of Justice that is up on Capital Hill right now, lying like there is no tomorrow about working with and arming the drug cartels and quite possibly domestic street gangs across the midwest in a related but separate program is now choosing to pick on a big city Department over response to Occupy which is being coordinated and directed out of Washington and the Department of Homeland Security.

Hey, I have a suggestion here... How about Washington just stay ENTIRELY OUT of State and Local level issues now and forever? They couldn't fix a leaky faucet without replacing the whole house and half the city water system by the time they get done and the less they act in our "best interests" the better our overall interests are likely to be!

Specifically to Seattle... Well.. Yes, there have been ugly confrontations by police and Occupy protesters. Some seems excessive...and some seems about right when people are running like madmen across city streets and just shutting down whatever street strikes their fancy, for however long the mood strikes them to. Either way, this IS NOT a Washington issue when WASHINGTON is directing the whole friggen enforcement effort to begin with!

How about Occupy push *HARD* for meaningful inclusion by citizens with regard to Internal Affairs incident review boards and investigation efforts. Don't protest the cops...they find that a point of endless amusement and simply giving the boys in blue some needed laughter isn't the point, I'm guessing, Push to BE in the room when the investigations are happening and courses of action against the abusive cops are being decided... DEMAND IT..and Don't STOP until it's accepted as something which is going to happen.

Seattle won't be the FIRST Department to have citizen involvement directly in Internal Affairs matters..but they damn sure need it....as whatever system they DO have is apparently woefully inadequate .

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Actually I don't think this has much to do with Occupy, maybe a little.

DOJ details findings in Seattle Police investigation

The investigation, launched on March 31, 2011, and conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, focused on whether SPD engages in unconstitutional or unlawful policing through either (1) the use of excessive force or (2) discriminatory policing. The Justice Department found reasonable cause to believe that SPD engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The Justice Department does not make a finding that SPD engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing, but the investigation raised serious concerns that some of SPD’s policies and practices, particularly those related to pedestrian encounters, could result in unlawful discriminatory policing. These practices undermine SPD’s ability to build trust among segments of Seattle’s diverse communities. Read more: blog.thenewstribune.com...

Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Actually I don't think this has much to do with Occupy, maybe a little.

Indeed... I'd read the article and been keeping half an eye on the outcome of this anyway. I never expect much when the Feds come to town looking to investigate people on the same side...and this sure didn't disappoint, eh?

I mention Occupy specifically and immediately, first because you're one of it's strongest supporters at ATS and have been unwavering in that position...so it seems the right thread and OP to mention it.

Far more importantly though.... a minor investigation like this is routine and boring. It happens often enough around the nation when DOJ gets a wild hair up their tailpipes or someone with the personal dial number of an official high up at Justice gets a boo-boo from a big bad city cop during an arrest.

However....Occupy and the RELATED and very SIMILAR abuses aren't a small sidebar story and are anything but boring. Build on it...use it..and ride THAT example right into substantive change to address the problems the DOJ report specifically sites within Seattle Police.....and every OTHER big city department while change is in the air anyway.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


It's only as routine as we let it be. Meaning, this is what we should be expecting of our government. I know you and many others here are of the mindset that we should have less government and I agree to the extent that if our watchdogs were actually doing their jobs and if the regulations and laws made sense they would not get as monstrous as they have to the point of near ineffectiveness.

Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

It's only as routine as we let it be. Meaning, this is what we should be expecting of our government. I know you and many others here are of the mindset that we should have less government and I agree to the extent that if our watchdogs were actually doing their jobs and if the regulations and laws made sense they would not get as monstrous as they have to the point of near ineffectiveness.

Imagine how much we could all see get accomplished if a sizable group representing my way of thinking and a sizable group representing your way of thinking could sit down and just hash things out the way we do here. So many of us are very different in core values and outlooks..yet somehow we still seem to disagree without being disagreeable. In the end...we even seem to find middle ground as often as not. John Lennon would be impressed at times.