Police Accountability Watchdog Recommends Changes to Sheriff’s Office Public Information Policy
A
report presented today by the King County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO)
calls for policy changes related to how the King County Sheriff’s Office
presents information to the public after an officer-involved shooting.
In
response to the public’s outcry for increased transparency, OLEO partnered with
the University of Florida’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information – a national source of research, expertise and advocacy
about the law of gathering and disseminating news – to produce the report.
“What
appears in the press about an incident has a profound impact on the public’s
perception of an incident, as well as on the loved ones of anyone harmed during
an interaction with police,” said Deborah Jacobs, OLEO Director. “It’s
important that the Sheriff’s Office have policies that build
trust and legitimacy with communities by ensuring communications originating
from their office are accurate, timely, and respectful.”
OLEO
released the report, Transparency and Media Relations in High Profile Police
Cases, during a briefing of the Metropolitan King County Council’s Law and Justice
Committee. It recommends proactive accountability measures for when the
Sheriff’s Office communicates with the press and the public following police
shootings and other critical incidents, including:
- Protocol
for timely notification of families following critical incidents;
- Requirements
to rapidly, publicly, and transparently acknowledge and correct inaccurate or
misleading information with an explanation as to how the misinformation
occurred;
- Releasing
the decedent’s criminal history only when requested or other criteria is met;
- Ensuring
efforts be made to convey information to ethnic media serving
non-English-speaking populations;
“We’re
excited to have the opportunity to work cooperatively with a forward-thinking
law enforcement agency on formulating a set of best practices that will
minimize friction in interactions with journalists in high-pressure
situations,” said Frank LoMonte, Director of the Brechner Center at Florida.
“When a newsworthy event occurs, people are bombarded with rumor and speculation
on social media. Pushing out reliable information promptly, and keeping that
information regularly updated, is the best antidote.”
Moving
forward, OLEO will seek to work with the King County Sheriff’s Office to
advance these recommendations into policy and practice.
OLEO
is an independent office established by the County Council that represents the
interests of the public in its efforts to hold the Sheriff’s Office accountable
for providing fair and just police services. It conducts systemic reviews of
the Sheriff’s Office’s policies, practices and trainings, and makes policy
recommendations to the Sheriff’s Office and the County Council for meaningful
improvements. However, only the Sheriff may decide whether or not to adopt
OLEO’s recommendations. Neither OLEO, the Council, nor the Executive’s Office
can mandate its policies.
A
copy of the report is available online at: https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/independent/law-enforcement-oversight/Documents/2018/2018-06-07-UF-Brechner-Report.ashx
For more information about the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, see:
www.brechner.org.
Learn more about King
County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight at http://www.kingcounty.gov/OLEO
###
|
