Feds
meet with mayor, list reforms they want to see in Seattle Police Dept.
Justice
Dept. earlier cited officers' use of force
SEATTLE—
Justice
Department representatives met Friday with Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and laid
out a list of reforms that the federal government wants to see implemented in
the Seattle Police Department.
It’s
the result of a long investigation into the problem of excessive force and
misconduct by Seattle police officers. Last December, the Justice Department
made a finding that one-fifth of the time that officers use force in Seattle,
they violate the constitutional rights of suspects.
Neither
the Justice Department nor the mayor’s office released details of the
recommendations.
“They
have made an agreement not to negotiate in public, and I agree with that,”
McGinn said after the meeting.
On
Thursday, McGinn announced a sweeping set of reforms he said will help the
problems that have plagued the SPD.
“We
have been challenged by the high-profile incidents and that has lent a sense of
urgency and importance to this,” McGinn said.
The
mayor’s plan includes a new, binding code of ethics for officers,
crisis-intervention training, clearer guidelines for when force is justified,
and creating a sergeant’s academy to ensure better oversight of cops on patrol