Seattle police blast reforms recommended by feds

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Police Department is objecting harshly to reforms proposed by the Justice Department, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

The DOJ presented its confidential recommendations to the city at the end of March, after finding that Seattle police regularly used illegal force. The AP has reviewed the proposal, which shows the DOJ is threatening to sue unless the city makes changes to policies, adds training for officers and hires more sergeants to supervise patrol officers.

A Police Department analysis of the DOJ's proposal says the majority of reforms would take one to three years to complete -- far longer than the four- to six-month timeframes DOJ calls for. It says DOJ's suggestions "prompt serious questions about the analytical thoroughness and organizational experience of those who proposed them."