This particular case was one highlighted by the civilian review board earlier this year. Security officers at Harborview Medical Center say they also saw the police officer strike the suspect in the face--but security cameras did not capture that. The City Council has since passed a law requiring the Chief to explain his reasons in writing if he exonerates an officer. Now, a mayor's panel is looking at other potential changes to our system of how misconduct charges are handled.
The mayor's panel appears poised to make adjustments but no wholesale changes. For one, any major changes would have to be bargained with the union, and the next union contract would likely be in 2010. But former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice believes that our system--that includes an Office of Professional Accountability within the police department, an auditor who reports to the mayor, and a citizen review board that reports to the council--isn't fundamentally broken. Every city does it slightly differently, so what do you think? Does our system work? What would you change?
It's a newly-released videotape of an old case that shows a Seattle Police officer striking a handcuffed intoxicated man with a baton. The Police Chief says, after reviewing the videotape, he was hard pressed to fault the officer and the Chief overturned a recommendation by his internal investigators to impose discipline. Just another case to consider as the city reviews how it handles cases of alleged police misconduct...
The video doesn't show the officer hitting or beating the suspect who stuck his leg out at the other officer walking by. He took out the baton and probably threatened him with it for his actions. The suspect did not react at all to the officer with the baton except to acknowledge what the officer told him. So there was most likely no hitting involved. True, they may be some head thumping, neanderthal mentality here and there with police, but having been a corrections officer for 22 years, just about every officer knows what he/she can and cannot do....and especially when they know they are on camera. It is very unlikely that he beat the man as some people would read into the video.
Though accusations against police are problematic I do think it is fair to hold them to the same standards as everyone else. If a particular standard is a problem for police officers there is a good chance the average citizen is subject to the same abuses - though perhaps not with the same statistical frequency.
The current system is a hodgepodge of special interests and needs to be greatly simplified. The quickest path to that is to hold the Lawyers accountable to the same standards of behavior they hold everyone else to. In particular Kate Pflaumer's role is suspect.
Ms. Pflaumer was the former US Attorney, under Clinton, and opposed the critics of the PGE/Sidran parking garage financing deal. As you may recall that controversy included doctored crime 'statistics' to show a pattern of blight' The City's own ethics office had taken a legal position in opposition when Pflaumer and Gregoire pulled rank.
The first thing to remember is that these statistics are people's lives. A bit of respect for that all the way around would be a good thing - perhaps especially with the Lawyers.
In the public sector we don't end working relationships enough - perhaps more of a problem outside of the Police Department. A layoff is not the same as a criminal record, and a bit more mobility in our labor market could be a good thing - especially if the private sector doesn't attack former public sector employees.
That said, my own personal PD gripe. I was once on a community board that included a female crime prevention employee, as well as a couple whom had both worked for the City in the past. That couple was trouble.
I was young at the time, and after the trouble I suggested to the Crime Prevention people that the best way to involve young adults in the City would be apartment based block watches. They accused me of being a troublemaker and blew me off.
I'd presume that trouble has gotten worse in the SPT - especially with someone of the record of Pflaumer.
BTW, shows keep getting better and better.
This is deplorable. One question I have is what type of people are we hiring for our police? How do we screen out people who become gang members with a badge. Oversight is paramount and the police unions should not have a say about how the public enforces it's policies.
When I see a policeman I don't say I am safe - rather my reaction is the same as seeing an LA gang member - WATCH OUT!
The police have shown time and again arrogance and a lack of compassion with a long history of corruption. Always wanting to site their job hazards but never willing to owe up to the hazards they create!
When we were children we were actually taught to respect the law and the people who uphold it.
By respecting the law you were put in a position of not be arrested, hit with a baton, shot, handcuffed, arrested.
By breaking the law you were allowed to participate with law enforcement in these extra activities. You gave up certain rights. If you have handcuffs on your hands and they are cuffed behind your back, you can no longer scratch your nose.
Unfortunately elders in the community and parents no longer teach right from wrong and the consequences that follow either action. Good consequences for doing right or bad consequences for doing something wrong. There are consequences for breaking the law.
The topic they now teach is that if you get arrested no matter if you were driving down the residential street at 120 mph. somehow miraculously you have changed from a perpetrator to a victim of society.
You no longer have to face consequences that will help mold your life and teach you about respect and responsibility, that there is safety in staying under the umbrella of law abiding society. But now you can cry victim and sue the people who have sworn to protect society.
Dear elders, I believe you have done a real diservice to us and are wrong for allowing this to happen. You have not carried the torch for the next generation, you have failed us.
A note to those who are dealing with the law, say when you get pulled over while driving, when an officer asks you to do something, listen obey and before long if you are innocent you will be on your way.
Somehow every time one of these stories come up we have forgotten a person was incarcerated because he was arrested of breaking the law. How many times have we overlooked the supposedly victim was actually the perpetrator of breaking the law. Come on people COMMON SENSE!!!!!! where has it gone????
Elders please Teach right from wrong.
Two or three times you stated "the officer walked by and the other officer hit him " You did not mention the guy tried to trip the officer . You need to state it correctly.
I believe with the cockyness of this generation officers seen to have there hands tied. In this day and age of sue sue sue I believe you need to look in to other factores not just what happens in a minute of footage. Whom is to say the cuffed person has been a handful while on the way to Harbor View. Whom is to say he may have injured someone while being intoxicated, but above all he put himself in harms way by his own actions. Every time I have come in to contact with a law officer I have had all my paper work in order I have no warrants for my arrest, Nor have I been intoxicated. I believe in this day maybe the police are doing the best they can with an unlawful generation.
I'm just wondering how come the City of Seattle has granted so much immunity to SPD officers.
For instance;
Lets pretend an officer is moonlighting at McDonald's. McDonald's gets to determine if that officer will wear his uniform on the job at McDonalds?
Problem: citizens are led to believe that person/officer is on the city clock, when in fact he's not.
***Private employers pay the officer's other job wages to the City of Seattle which adds it to the officer's pay.
Problem: It creates a situation where the employer is immune for the officer's offduty work conduct. Why? The employer can claim he didnt pay the officer, the city did.
Additionally, it allows that officer to enhance his/hier effort to accumulate the highest 5 years of wages for State retirement calulations.
****Officers who wear the uniform while moomlighting, get to use all the City equipment while privately employed at Denny's, Starbucks, QFC, McDonalds, ect.
Problem: City eimployees are forbidden to use City property for personal use. However, police officers are ceded permission to even use the official cars/radios, even motercycles while working for a private employer.
Those concessions to the Police Guild seem to perpetrate the corruption that other cities have worked hard at elimiinating.
The City of Seattle needs to stop ceding permissions to officers who want to work for private employers on their free time.
And the City needs to stop providing immunity to officers who want to moonlight.
they want to moon light, fine. Let them collect a check directly from Denny's, and stop allowing the comingling of private and public wages to qualifiy for state retirement
In the case of the Seattle,Police Officer,there is always no excuse to over use your power or force if not needed.However after viewing the video,it did appear that the indivisual kicked the Police Officer,while being intoxicated so some type of retaliation was needed,maybe not useing a baton although,but however the question of Racial Profileing by the Seattle Police force has been brought up in the past,so the way that everything looked at first, in my opinion would surely be question.
Terrific job Robert! Thank you for continuing to courageously expose the thug-like behavior systemic to the SPD.
The oaf-like "Chief K." and that last poster have the same problem... they both need to clean the "fog-of-denial" from their video-viewing glasses!
I find the whole police corruption in Seattle disgusting. I come from another country from we prosecute dirty cops and cops don't get away with murdering or abusing people.
This Chief Crookerkowski is a crook. I have to ask this question, is the Seattle Police here to serve the people or are the people slaves in overpaying these dirty cops' salary and bloated pension.
I feel sorry for the people of Seattle. They don't deserve Nazi cops.
I know this is the minority here in Sea-Tac-Oly, But the majority of society's problems would be settled Very Quickly if Citizens still had the right to
Defend Yourself
Defend Your Family
Defend Your Property.
(Without tens of thousands of dollars in law suits and having your life turned upside down by the courts because a thug tried to mug you/rape your daughter.)
Police and the current judicial system are a hassle, not a help.
I agree with Will, when i see a cop, i hold my breath hoping he'll pass on by, just as if he was a hoodlum.
(i dont do drugs or have any convictions)
Skok,
We all agree that the Seattle Police is made up of thugs and cowardly criminals but your suggestion is impractical. I can’t go around getting ready to defend myself. I was in the army, body armor and assault rifles are heavy. I already carry about 10 pounds of laptop, power cable, power bars, water, etc. I don’t want to get ready to shoot someone when I am eating at a restaurant or working out in a gym.
This is not to even mention the danger situation of having too many weapons around kids. The real solution would be for Seattle to recruit smart and not child molesters and criminals into the police force. Why does the city make it mandatory for policeman to have master degrees (degree mills don’t count). Go to the UW, Seattle U, don’t just take on a bunch of idiotic fat thugs into the force.
Well I am a firmly believe there are two kinds of officers in our police departments and our armed forces. The ones needing a job cause they didnt care to excel in school, and those who need a job so they can keep on going to school to better them selfs. The officers that are the bad apples of the bunch can be weeded by how they try to better themselfs after they have been on the job. They should be able to hold themselfs up to a high light but some choose to just tarnish the badge that they wear. We should employee those who are looking to expand there knowledge rather than those looking for paychecks and power to rule over us.
Well I am a firmly believe there are two kinds of officers in our police departments and our armed forces. The ones needing a job cause they didnt care to excel in school, and those who need a job so they can keep on going to school to better them selfs. The officers that are the bad apples of the bunch can be weeded by how they try to better themselfs after they have been on the job. They should be able to hold themselfs up to a high light but some choose to just tarnish the badge that they wear. We should employee those who are looking to expand there knowledge rather than those looking for paychecks and power to rule over us.
If first you start with, what has brought the person to be handcuffed and sitting in the chair? Then what prompted him to try and trip the officer? Lack of good judgment would be a fair answer. Police officers are regular citizens with courage and are required to get involved where and whenever the law is broken, weekly we watch as law abiding citizens are beaten for minding their own business and we wonder where are the police? In this case taking care of someone without personal control. The drunk in the chair is there for a reason, who if allowed I wonder, who would he have effected on his way home? Does or did he have sense enough not to drive? fight? steal? How would anyone feel if he was sitting in the chair because he had just used his car as a weapon and run over a citizen crossing the street. To many times only select information is given to the masses to form a opiion. Officers are not perfect by any means, remember they are just normal people, but the actions of a few should not tarnish the majority.
I also was beaten by the C/O's @ The King County Jail. I was handcuffed, stirped,thrown to the ground,jumped on by at-least three officers! On Oct 11th and charged with harassment. I have sence been cleared of all charges,BUT they can't take back the BEATING! They also failed to return MY ring ( a very nice piece left to me by my father!!) I will be fileing charges in the near future!
The problem is that police are paid huge amount of salary and pension worth millions per. person. It's better than winning the lottery.
Right now, they are not even normal, most are mentally ill individuals with abusive personalities.
Dino,
You never shared why you were incarcerated. Apparently you did something to end up in handcuffs.
This is un believable... well not really
another case of police brutality with no accountability
When I see a policeman I don't say I am safe - rather my reaction is the same as seeing a gang member - WATCH OUT!
most of the officers have this "HOLIER THAN THOU" attitude and the system propigates it by having no accountability!!!
there is a Sheriff in Pierce county with 3 assault complaints a very public e-mail he himself penned about wanting everyone locked up who ever broke a law while being a instructor to new cadet's and now this same Officer is facing (2)Yes TWO!!! DUI charges he managed to collect in 2 hours along with driving over 90mph while at over twice the legal limit of.08 !!!! and he still has a job with Pierce County???
How do we screen out people who become gang members with a badge? Oversight!!! get the police, the police guild, everyone related to law enforcement and the legal system out of it and have the same 12 people you and I get(a jury)to review the evidence and provide independent oversight and charge the "Blue Crew" with the same laws we entrust them to enforce.
Some... not all of these officers are worse than the Crips Bloods or the Hells Angels ever thought about being... the rest are just lazy taking in massive overtime,incredable perks along with a decent compensation package and waiting for the golden handshake
The police have shown time and time again an arrogance and a "Above the law" Attitude this is just another example of that
Yes, it's time to take back the streets... not from the crack heads and the thiefs ... we need take them back from the Police!!!
BE AFRAID BE VERY AFRAID!!!
Ihave personal experiance of Seattle Cops working with meth addicts, Bi-Polar crazies, Herion dealers on Broadway, street beggers/ drug dealers to Stalk people who complain about Seattle cops. They give them block-watch certificates, trained by cops, to go after people who don't do illegal drugs, Seattle cops also work hand in hand with deeply religious who are persecuting innocent people who are no bible-thumpers.
Thomas, you are kind of out there.
The police dept. does attract a alot of bad characters. We probably know these types from high school. The strict, girlfried slapping clique.
My one is question is why we can't police the police?
It's time to get rid of Nickell and every politicians who don't stand up to these thugs in uniforms.