News Alerts

CPC updates

• CPC Meeting Tomorrow: You can find the agenda and Zoom information for our 9 am meeting tomorrow here. On the agenda, among other things, are: 
  
  • An update from the Office of Police Accountability on its complainant experience assessment; and
  • Discussion regarding revisions to the City Council's proposed crowd management policies. 
• Accountability System Midyear Report: On July 13^th, Seattle’s police oversight agencies – the Community Police Commission, Office of Inspector General, and Office of Police Accountability – will present our Midyear Report during the Seattle City Council Public Safety & Human Services Committee. Tune in to provide public comment and get updated on the agencies’ work.

Police Accountability News

• Mourners gather to remember Lexi Harris, SPD officer killed while helping at crash scene [Seattle Times | 7-1]

• Seattle cop shoots man while serving search warrant [AP | 6-30] [SPD Update | 7-2]

• OIG Memo reveals serious 'deficiencies' in OPA protest investigation that 'cannot be remedied' [South Seattle Emerald | 6-30]
• Appeals of police discipline resume after long silence [Publicola | 6-30]
• Lawsuit against SPD highlights OPA concerns with Police K-9s [Publicola | 6-25]

• Panel Can’t Tell if Seattle Police Officer Uttered Slur [Publiocla | 7-6]

• Seattle Police Officer who use facial recognition software gets one-day suspension [Publicola | 7-3]

SPD responds to OPA recommendations

Last week OPA received responses from SPD regarding two closed Management Action Recommendations (MARs). OPA issues MARs when it identifies, during investigations, problems with SPD policies or practices that have implications beyond the case at hand.

• OPA recommended in February 2021 that SPD develop clearer policies regarding how officers interact with journalists during protests. In May 2021, SPD responded that it made wide changes to its Crowd Management policy, including addressing how to deal with media at large scale events. OPA considers this fully implemented.
• OPA recommended in 2019 and 2020 that SPD create guidelines to govern Special Commission Permits, which allow retired officers to work certain off-duty assignments outside of SPD. SPD responded in June 2021 that Human Resources and SPD have implemented new policies and procedures. Because SPD did not address the recommendation to require that permit holders undergo policy training, OPA considers this partially implemented.

These updates are now reflected in the CPC's Police Accountability Recommendation Tracker (PART), which gives the community unprecedented centralized and up to date information about police accountability recommendations and their status. Check out our tutorial video about how you can use PART today. 

Become a CPC Commissioner

The Community Police Commission has an opening for a community member to become a commissioner. Under the Accountability Ordinance, the Mayor, City Council, and CPC each appoint seven members to the CPC. Right now, Mayor's Office has one more commissioner to appoint. 

Learn more and apply