Pity the poor law enforcement officer who must go through life knowing that everybody thinks he's a jerk and a fool and the only reason people respect him is because he carries a gun and a badge.

Speaking of which, did we ever hear what happened to this couple ?

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Two-S…
SEATTLE -- Two Seattle police officers accused of drunkenly crashing into a light pole and leaving the scene were arrested early Monday morning.

The officers, who were both off duty at the time, were driving in Seattle's SoDo area just after midnight on Monday when they hit what a witness described as a light pole, according to police.

The witness told police that after the crash, the female driver stopped the car in the middle of the street, got out and switched places with her male passenger.

Officers found the car roughly two miles away parked in the roadway with the motor running. When police approached the car, they immediately recognized the occupants as Seattle police officers.

According to the arrest report, the female officer -- who was in the passenger seat -- repeatedly swore at the arresting officers and appeared "extremely intoxicated." The woman originally denied driving the car, but later admitted to being behind the wheel, according to the report.

After being taken to the department's North Precinct for processing, the woman became combative and told an officer he "wasn't a real cop" because she had been on the force longer. When the officer informed her that he, in fact, had been an officer "considerably longer than her," the woman rushed towards him in "an aggressive manner" and had to be restrained by another officer.

The woman eventually took two breath tests. Her blood alcohol level was .234 and .247. The legal limit for adults in Washington state is .08. The male officer blew .161 and .149. The woman was processed for DUI and the man was processed for DUI-physical control. Both were released.

The car, which was not owned by the city, was impounded. SPD has initiated the Office of Professional Accountability complaint process and both officers have been administratively reassigned to home.

Investigators are asking the City Attorney's Office to consider charges of DUI and Hit and Run for the female off-duty officer and DUI-Physical Control and Hit and Run for the male off-duty officer.

If SPD routinely treats white guys like this, imagine how they treat our darker skinned brothers?

I'm reminded of Fruitvale Station and Oscar Grant. The innocent bystanders photos of police action were critical in that case. The sentencing...that's another (criminal) story. Good on you.

@101 There is no "perp" in this story. Nobody was arrested, let alone charged with a crime. Please don't assign guilt when there is no basis for it.

Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1610392116

When I moved here 22 years ago, I had great experiences/interactions with SPD officers, and really thought they proved that this city was different in this respect. Cops on foot around Cap. Hill really seemed to be trying to foster an image of community and cooperation. (of course, I'm white, male, and generally presentable, so I might've seen things from a perspective of privilege).

It saddens me to have witnessed such a dramatic shift in SPD culture, but it's a shitty reality that unprofessional meatheads like officer John Marion spoil the image for even decent officers and ultimately endanger others by taking an adversarial posture and damaging any sense that we're on the same side. You'd think the good cops would be more motivated than you are to censure John Marion and his ilk. For their sake.

Fantastic work. I remember a few years ago when I was given a traffic ticket that the officer demanded my social security number, which I refused to provide. She said she could get the information through their system and I told her to do that, I had no legal obligation to provide my SSN to anyone that I chose not to, so then she threatened that she would charge me with "obstruction" if I didn't give it to her. Being stupid, I told her I was refusing (rather than pretending that I didn't remember it) and she added Obstruction of Justice to my Failure To Come To A Complete Stop ticket. I had to hire an attorney to fight it, and although it was thrown out in court the judge refused to admonish the officer for such a ridiculous charge.

I totally appreciate you taking this on and demanding accountability. I will be following this closely, as I would assume you'll get the same response that 12 previous complaints have earned - nothing but a waste of time. But hopefully you will prove me wrong.

I agree there is a spectrum of good >>> bad cops, so why aren't the good cops chastising the bad ones? If I was a "good cop," I would be incredibly pissed at assholes like this, because they would be making the public more wary of all cops, and my job more dangerous.
Also, great story. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

I almsot become a cop. Went to the police academy and all. But quit early on. I realized the job forces you to be an asshole to SOME people in order to get their attention and control situations. I quit because I decided I didn't like the person I would have to become. Or could become. The problem is too many cops don't know how to turn it off, they are assholes to ALL the people, all the time. Keep telling stories like this, we need to hold them accountable. We need mature people as cops who can control their emotions and who know when to turn it off and treat people with respect. Good job taking names and putting their pictures online. These jerks need to be publicly shamed. I'm in a public sector union and I must say police unions give my [different] union a bad name too. They have way too much power. I'm all for collective bargaining but totally against collective protection of bad apples. Cops need some measure of protection from the normal retaliatory complaints they will get just from people mad at them enforcing the law. But when they escalate things, and are serial abusers of their authority with multiple complaints above the average cop, they should be able to be fired. In any other job if enough people you service or work with complain about you, you will get fired. Patterns of independent complaints corroborated by independent witnesses should be all that's needed to fire a cop. They act like assholes because they know nothing will happen to them. Which is kind of ironic for paramilitary organizations to have LESS discipline than the ordinary private sector.

@92 bingo. That is the exact way I've seen it play out.

@101 this story was never about the perp to begin with. It's about how the police officers interacted with an innocent bystander.

Each time I'm called for jury duty, I calmly explain that I believe LEOs are little more than legalized thugs and that I wouldn't ever believe any testimony they provide in court. They are allowed to lie as part of their investigations and I believe have no intelligent understanding of the truth - even if it bit them on their backsides.

Works like a charm.

I get excused from serving after a lecture from a DA who I then remind is someone without any drive or intelligence, otherwise they'd be working in private practice or corporate law.

The police were completely wrong, and their actions threatening you with arrest were a violation of your civil rights. Under Washington law, you have the right to record officers performing their jobs in a public forum. That was made clear in State v. Flora, 845 P.2d 1355 (Wash. Ct. App. 1992). The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held in Johnson v. Hawe, 388 F.3d 676 (2004), that the right to record officers in public was so well-established that police officers who order you not to are not entitled to the qualified immunity that ordinarily protects them from lawsuits. Despite repeated complaints to the Office of Professional Accountability, the issue has not been addressed within the SPD. You have the basis for a lawsuit and you should consider pursuing one; it would make a big impact on police practices.

Here's what cracks me up about those who are trying to make this about McGinn, saying that we need to get a Mayor who will actually make changes. :-)

The other two top candidates, both of whom claim to support the social justice issue of wage elevation, just about lost their shit when McGinn simply wrote a letter suggesting that we actually apply the City's vetted and voted upon comprehensive plan when evaluating "public benefit." Lost. Their. Shit. Over a letter. Stating an opinion they claimed to share. The letter was, apparently, a step too far. God forbid McGinn actually did something tangible.

To change the culture at SPD, you need a Mayor willing to knock heads, willing to upset the apple cart.

Yeah, the guys who were willing to claim support of the social justice issue of wage elevation and then too chicken to take the radical step of writing a letter to state that opinion? These are not they guys who will knock heads with the entrenched status quo at the police department.

I agree that McGinn could do better on this issue, but let's at least be honest about who else is in the race.

Dominic,
Have you considered the video surveillance aspect of this story? There might be footage of the incident that should be preserved for the two (or three if Merrick Bob's folks are interested) investigations that seem to be upcoming. This might also be an opportunity to investigate how Metro handles its video from the bus tunnel if someone at the office wants to make for public records requests.

Just want to echo the compliments of everybody else: you're doing a public service in reporting this incident, and will be doing an even greater one in reporting on how your complaint is handled.

A similar incident happened to me the night the I-5 Bridge over the Skagit River collapsed. I brought my pole photography rig down the scene to get some pictures of the event. When I set up the pole to take some pictures, a Burlington Police Officer ordered me to stop taking pictures. There were at least 100 people between me and the bridge with cameras taking pictures of the fallen bridge, but I was singled out because I was putting my camera about 20 feet in the air while standing on public property. She told me "we're not allowing press in here". I told her that I am a real estate agent, not press... Not that this should make any difference. Nothing mattered to her other than I was not going to be allowed to take pictures even though hundreds of others were doing the same thing without harassment from the police.

Let me say that I like and respect police of all types. They do very difficult work in a high stress dangerous job. However, I can't abide abuse of power. Unfortunately for me, I was unprepared that night and I failed to get the officer's name to file an official complaint. I am much better prepared now with a plan of action and a prepared statement in case I find myself in a similar situation.

Again, I like and respect cops. I have shared a home with one, I know and call a few others friend. However, the abuse of authority cannot be allowed. Taking pictures while standing in a public place is perfectly legal and should not get me or anyone else intimidated, harassed, or worse...

I now carry the following statement with me when I'm out and about with my camera:

Officer, what you are saying is a clear violation of my
First Amendment Rights as an American Citizen.

I have no desire to be arrested or harassed in any way,
nor do I wish to be the poster child for the next case from
the American Civil Liberties Union against your
department. - Your department is financially stretched
thin enough without paying me hundreds of thousands of
dollars because of your actions here.

Please consider your next words and actions carefully.
Here are the facts as I understand them:

1) I am in a public place and it is legal for me to be here.

2) Photography is not a crime. I have a First Amendment Right to observe or record you and your fellow officers in the public discharge of your duties.

3) I do not have the right to cross a police line or enter an area that is closed to the public, or to enter an any area designated as a crime scene.
- I have not done that, nor will I.

4) I do not have the right to interfere with police activity. Interference consists of conduct, threats, actions or activities that prevent or hinder you from doing your job. - I have not done that, nor will I. I am simply enjoying my First Amendment right to record something and I'm trying to do it without being illegally harassed.

5) I do have the right to express criticism of police activity so long as my criticism does not jeopardize the safety of any police, suspect, or bystander as long as my expression does not violate the law or incite others to violate the law.
- I have not done that, nor will I.

I hereby request that you stop interfering with my First Amendment Rights and allow me to continue doing what I was doing before you approached me.

A similar incident happened to me the night the I-5 Bridge over the Skagit River collapsed. I brought my pole photography rig down the scene to get some pictures of the event. When I set up the pole to take some pictures, a Burlington Police Officer ordered me to stop taking pictures. There were at least 100 people between me and the bridge with cameras taking pictures of the fallen bridge, but I was singled out because I was putting my camera about 20 feet in the air while standing on public property. She told me "we're not allowing press in here". I told her that I am a real estate agent, not press... Not that this should make any difference. Nothing mattered to her other than I was not going to be allowed to take pictures even though hundreds of others were doing the same thing without harassment from the police.

Let me say that I like and respect police of all types. They do very difficult work in a high stress dangerous job. However, I can't abide abuse of power. Unfortunately for me, I was unprepared that night and I failed to get the officer's name to file an official complaint. I am much better prepared now with a plan of action and a prepared statement in case I find myself in a similar situation.

Again, I like and respect cops. I have shared a home with one, I know and call a few others friend. However, the abuse of authority cannot be allowed. Taking pictures while standing in a public place is perfectly legal and should not get me or anyone else intimidated, harassed, or worse...

I now carry the following statement with me when I'm out and about with my camera:

Officer, what you are saying is a clear violation of my
First Amendment Rights as an American Citizen.

I have no desire to be arrested or harassed in any way,
nor do I wish to be the poster child for the next case from
the American Civil Liberties Union against your
department. - Your department is financially stretched
thin enough without paying me hundreds of thousands of
dollars because of your actions here.

Please consider your next words and actions carefully.
Here are the facts as I understand them:

1) I am in a public place and it is legal for me to be here.

2) Photography is not a crime. I have a First Amendment Right to observe or record you and your fellow officers in the public discharge of your duties.

3) I do not have the right to cross a police line or enter an area that is closed to the public, or to enter an any area designated as a crime scene.
- I have not done that, nor will I.

4) I do not have the right to interfere with police activity. Interference consists of conduct, threats, actions or activities that prevent or hinder you from doing your job. - I have not done that, nor will I. I am simply enjoying my First Amendment right to record something and I'm trying to do it without being illegally harassed.

5) I do have the right to express criticism of police activity so long as my criticism does not jeopardize the safety of any police, suspect, or bystander as long as my expression does not violate the law or incite others to violate the law.
- I have not done that, nor will I.

I hereby request that you stop interfering with my First Amendment Rights and allow me to continue doing what I was doing before you approached me.

Well done! Thanks for your bravery in the face of licensed killers.
Reposted this story on my bad C.O.P.S. board.
https://plus.google.com/communities/1110…

I'm no lawyer, but drawing on vague memories of other articles and bad cop shows, aren't you required to comply with a "reasonable" command from a police officer? If so, then it all hinges on who ends up interpreting the reasonableness. You may be legally allowed to be on that sidewalk, but when the cop asks you to leave and you choose to disobey, then you could be getting into a grey area (technically; I certainly wouldn't say that it was a reasonable request, but that's not my call).

Punishment isn't effective to retrain a group to adjust their culture and attitude. However re-training and psych evaluation (possibly therapy) for any / all officers that have multiple complaints could be effective.

Expect that they will be in trouble for it, but don't hold your breath. I bet all my money, they are simply afraid and what do people do when they are afraid? They use whatever leverage they have to bulldoze their way out of a situation. In this case, their leverage is the power given to them by city/state to police the city. It is totally messed up, I agree
.

I believe that re-training and psych evaluations (and therapy when needed) would be a better way to alter the culture and attitude of the police. I imagine that their job is frustrating and that a culture of us versus them is pretty easy to fall in to. However it is my opinion that the higher level management should be dealing with this on a case per case basis immediately and ongoingly to push through a culture change.

Of course, I may as well wish for unicorns and rainbows. Unless the Mayor and Chief of Police were to have a major attitude adjustment themselves as well as gain the support necessary to effect real cultural change, nothing will improve. This is not a simple matter. Frankly I believe that they have so few officers that they can't afford to bonk the ones who may need to be taken off the streets temporarily or permanently.

Myself? I see Seattle as the land of the 90+ minute wait if someone breaks into my house while I'm showering, infinite wait if a 6'+ man is verbally assaulting & threatening me and won't leave my place of business and the INSTANT parking ticket if I stop to run into a friends house to pee. Seattle police, once my allies over a decade ago when I lived in a church and needed their assistance (unfortunately) frequently are now no longer a positive force in my life. Instead unavailable when needed and there to ticket for the slightest BILLABLE infraction.

This is really scary :(

Steroid testing, steroid testing, steroid testing. Any time a person is injured in police custody, test the officers. Any time a weapon is discharged, test. Any time there is a misconduct charge filed, test. Eventually, when the data correlating overly aggressive behavior with 'roids becomes as solid as the data correlating drunkenness with car accidents, the pols will develop the political will to act on the data, and establish a rule where if you test positive, you get fired.

@97: Friendly suggestion -- go through your page with a fine tooth comb. There are a few typos that undercut the message. It's good material and deserves to have as much impact as possible.

Too many Police get BONER from subjugating POOR and REGULAR citizen, if you have wealth then Police force is your pet.

Ha! Those cops fucked with the wrong guy this time.

Inappropriate to make a donut joke, here?

Thank you for doing your job well and standing up to a system that's clearly broken.

OH PLEASE. You expect them to punish the cops for BEING RUDE? Jesus. Complaints like yours keep the real complaints from getting adequately considered. So they threatened to arrest you, hmm? Lemmetellya a story.
This is a story all about how my life got changed, flipped upside-down--ok not really. ahem.
I lit a cigarette at a downtown metro stop once. Yep, pretty vile, I know. It was a little past midnight, and a giant bald transit cop with open sores on his face came yelling at me... yelling hilarious insults. like, "what the fuck you think you're doing, BRAINIAC?" he called me "genius" and "einstein" about a dozen times, and I immediately got a pretty vivid portrait of this guy's career arc, starting in high school.
My main mistake was that, after he asked me what I thought I was doing, I slowly looked at him, looked at my cigarette, and then looked back at him with a blank expression on my face. That was enough.
Every time I spoke, I said "yes sir/no sir". I immediately put the cigarette out--but it was too late. He slammed me up against a wall, cuffed me, and then slammed me up against various walls about 3 or 4 more times, after I was made defenseless with my hands cuffed behind my back. He yanked me back and forth, holding the middle of the handcuffs, pulled me backwards in the street until I fell, etc. crazy.
Long story slightly shorter, I spent the night in county.
I wasn't drunk, I wasn't insolent.. just in the wrong place at the wrong time. this was in 2010.
P.S. A different set of cops took me to county. When I was en route, they asked me what happened. I said,"I'm not sure exactly what I did, but I guess I pissed that officer off..." and one immediately said, "oh, if you pissed him off, you'd be on your way to the HOSPITAL, not county!" and then they laughed.
...and laughed.
I met some pretty cool people in county that night, so it wasn't a total loss! :)
1312

@134, not really. Did you report this to anyone? If not, why not? That's what makes Dom's story important - he's got enough gumption to not let this go.

I recently paid a visit to the Virginia St police state to inquire about a ticket. I was told by the officer that gave me the ticket that and law enforcement officer could sign it once I had my new license plate tabs renewed. I approached the glass barricade in the lobby and waited to be helped. After about 10 minutes of being ignored a female officer opened the glass and asked, "what do you want?". I showed her the ticket and asked if she would please sing the back of the ticket. She said no and that I could find someone else to do it but she wouldn't. She said she didn't know what it was and that she wouldn't help me. I told her I was simply doing what I had been told and wanted to fix the manner. She just simply said again she wouldn't help me and that I could find someone else..........
Thank you SPD for "SERVING" our community.

yuck. I'm sure this kind of thing happens very frequently. Glad you were there to shed some light.

#114

Ok, fine...but can someone please tell me what was happening originally that lead to the reporter's interaction with police. Why were they there and what were they doing?

Remember a few years ago when some guy shot four cops, and everyone was sad?

No, seriously--that really happened.

YAY Dom!!! This is truly horrible and though, as you said, little it could have easily become huge with you brain dead from being slammed against a wall by enraged testosterone fueled police officers spiraling out of control.

I feel privileged that SLOG has this fine comment portal that allows me to harass you at your place of work nearly daily. It's unfortunate Madonna failed to include the "Come at me, bro" pose in her Vogue but I'm glad Lady Gaga utilizes it perfectly.

Keep up the good work, Dominic :-)

Hi, Dom. Thanks for posting this and not being intimidated. I do hope you're making PRA requests for all written reports of both the incidents with you and with the fellow originally being detained, as well as all recordings -- dash cam videos, station security cam videos, police radio recordings, all of it. It's important to make sure it's all preserved.

(Police) Power corrupts... always has, always will.

I basically got the same reaction when I saw DHS "Police" and some SFPD or Bart Police standing around in the station when I took this photo after asking them what they were doing there. "Training for when bad things happen" is what one guy said to me. So I held up my phone and said "Smile!" that's when officer dickhead on the right started verbally abusing me. Calling me an asshole, telling me I'm a piece of shit, etc. Bunch of bullies and pussies if you ask me!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nwsd02/8978…

I basically got the same reaction when I saw DHS "Police" and some SFPD or Bart Police standing around in the station when I took this photo after asking them what they were doing there. "Training for when bad things happen" is what one guy said to me. So I held up my phone and said "Smile!" that's when officer dickhead on the right started verbally abusing me. Calling me an asshole, telling me I'm a piece of shit, etc. Bunch of bullies and pussies if you ask me!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nwsd02/8978…

I am very glad you are doing this! I've shared this article on my Facebook wall, and am encouraging others to do so as well. The culture at both SPD and King County is broken, and I think it's going to take citizen activism to help get it fixed.

I left Boise years ago after their police force was killing citizens left and right simply for looking at them weird. I myself was pulled over for a "hard look" and threatened with arrest. They also pulled me over while walking because we all know that walking is dangerous. All told, in Idaho I was pulled over about 10 times in 2 years and never for a traffic violation. It was all after the infamous, now covered up and forgotten Broderick Brothers incident. Two brothers were viciously gunned down one night in Boise. Murdered essentially. A family member who worked in the media witnessed the complicit cover-up by news organizations who were in line with the Boise cops. I always wished the parents of those brothers could see justice. Too bad. Soon after, they hired an ombudsman to oversee their corrupt department. Now that VERY same man is moving here to watch over Seattle cops. Something tells me things won't go so smoothly. Power corrupts and these shitbags have far too much power. This was very tangential but either way, I'm feeling very deja-vu by your post because this is EXACTLY the shit that was happening back then and it only got worse.

Ironic that the officers were actually bothering you "at work" since you were making notes for a report.
Sad state of affairs. Keep up the good work.

Kudos to The Stranger for undercutting their own endorsement in the mayor's race. The man you endorsed is responsible for continuing the "stubborn, toxic culture of disrespect and intimidation" in the police force.

Thanks for writing this. Cops need to be professional. They are on display. They shouldn't be bothering citizens for simply watching or recording them. It only enhances their focus and orientation overall. If they are doing something wrong they should be corrected and or charged. They are citizens too. The are defenders of our citizenry, not just enforcers of the law and sometimes they forget that. File the report. Love to see how that progresses for you with the department.

This is infuriating, but thanks to Dominic for reporting the incident and the follow-up. We, as citizens, need to know our rights because this sort of oversight and monitoring of our police is (sadly) needed, based on the past behavior of the SPD and the KCSO.

@134- So your point is that the cops do worse things so we shouldn't complain?

That's a really stupid point.

I share the view, "I'm sorry this happened to you, but I'm glad it happened to YOU." Thank you for writing this and I'll be following the story.

95% of the time when dealing with cops they've been courteous and professional. But that 5% left is inexcusable.

I agree with the officers. I don't like my picture taken by some random stranger and really don't think you would either while your working. Then you antagonize the situation by moving a little further away and continue doing it. Maybe he did overstep his boundaries a little by saying you could be arrested, but your no better by disrespecting his wish not to be photographed sighting your 'press' credentials. The stranger is 'press' about as much as TMZ is news.

"They are part of a stubborn, toxic culture of disrespect and intimidation, and until that culture is exposed and discarded—and until bad apples are fired or retired—the local police will be reviled by people who should appreciate and trust them."

I've lived in the Seattle area my entire life, and am continually disappointed in, and disgusted with the Seattle Police Department. This kind of conduct in any other public position would result in immediate termination, yet the people who are supposed to protect us don’t hesitate to bully non-criminal taxpaying citizens – much like out-of-control children who live with no practical consequences for their actions.

The culture of disrespect for the citizens they are paid to protect is even worse in Bellevue. There was a few instances of 'raids' on a park near a High School to bust kids smoking cigarets. I received speeding tickets for going 27 in a 25 that was thrown out when I had to take it to court to settle it. What are the priorities of these civic institutions? This is a systematic problem. I have to tell you, San Francisco police have been very nice to work with and they do a damn fine job.

"They are part of a stubborn, toxic culture of disrespect and intimidation, and until that culture is exposed and discarded—and until bad apples are fired or retired—the local police will be reviled by people who should appreciate and trust them."

I've lived in the Seattle area my entire life, and am continually disappointed in, and disgusted with the Seattle Police Department. This kind of conduct in any other public position would result in immediate termination, yet the people who are supposed to protect us don’t hesitate to bully non-criminal taxpaying citizens – much like out-of-control children who live with no practical consequences for their actions.

This is just unbelievable to me, we depend on these people to protect us. Not to use they're gun and badge to intimidate and bully us. Maybe we are turning into a police state...

@ 161 ~ I don't like my picture taken either, but that doesn't change the fact that someone is free to do so if we're both in a public space. It's not against the law to photograph the police as long as you don't interfere with what they're doing or do anything illegal yourself.

Regardless of the fact that you were involving yourself in something that is none of your business, alleged "journalist" or not, the Officers and Deputies at the incident should have behaved more professionally. I don't know what YOUR demeanor was, or if you were baiting them to get a story... Again, thank you KCSO for being jerks and dragging SPD into it.

I have an idea. Instead of vilifying the Police because they didn't kiss your ass, how about concentrating on the fact that they are trying to make the city a livable place by dealing with thugs, regardless of color. Would you have stopped if the subject had been white? I doubt it.

Would love to see these 'badass' cops get transferred to New York, Chicago, Detroit, or Atlanta. Or LA. Not to compare and contract citizenry, but Seattle seems small town compared to other cities. The cops in Seattle like to wear their uniforms and play with their guns and put on their sirens. But they don't seem like they really want to help or do good.

Oh yeah, and it might help if cops stopped acting like assholes. Just a thought.

This article being about the SPD, I have to say that I am not suprised at all. I am saddened, however, to see that the people we depend on to provide justice to the public are instead using they're positions to bully and intimidate others. However, continuing to let this go and remaining silent will only escalate it further. I say its time for a re-enactment of the LA riots here in the streets of Seattle.

"contrast" citizenry ..

How much trouble would it be for McGinn and the Council to pass a law that overtly and explicitly ORDERS police to not interfere with photography or videography, and to make it a police rule?

Not that hard, if they had the political will.

Seattle police just plain suck. Here's a great story for you readers.

In 2010 our house was burglarized. We called 911 when we discovered the robbery (returned from vacation). Who knew when this happened, or if someone was hiding in our home still. It took 90 minutes for dispatch. Then, when the officer left he backed from our driveway and into the drainage ditch. He called for backup. In 3 minutes, four of Seattle's finest cars and officers showed up on the scene.

I can't wait to move from this shitty City!

Right on Mr.Holden. We people (all people of all colors) should watch the police. The bad apples of the SPD like Sergeant Patrick "K.C." Saulet have been miscreants for so long that they feel entitled to instant submission from any citizen anywhere any time.

If we all take notes, names, badge numbers, pictures and/or video maybe the police will finally get the message that we citizens are watching them, they work (serve and protect) for us citizens and we do not condone their rogue attitude or behavior.

Or maybe we'll all get shot and beat by the police who knows...

I had a similar thing happen to me in Olympia a couple of years ago. I was walking from downtown, around midnight, when I came upon a State Patrol unit that had pulled over a driver. I was on the the other side of the street and stopped, watching the interaction. When the cop noticed me, he shone his light on me and very aggressively ordered me to move on or face arrest. "Arrest for what?" I asked. "Harassing a police officer," he boomed. Evidently cops have a totally different definition of harassment. To them, it means "not doing whatever they order you to do."

I have lived abroad for 9 years now and every time I come home I am fearful of our thuggish, totally out-of-control police. I have traveled to over twenty different countries and have never seen more brutish cops than those in the USA. I am getting the sense of that people have finally had enough. Now is the time to stand up, fire a shitload of them, and make serious, substantive reforms.

So you haven't even filed a complaint yet? Will these circumstances and facts change after a complaint is filed? No, they won't. I'm sure you don't need to be told how to do your job, but maybe gather all the information that will be available to you, then write a story.

Or maybe just stick with writing strongly worded letters on the internet and not engaging the mechanisms in place to address misconduct, but why would you want to include any information about corrective actions taken by the agencies involved. That would just get in the way of your personal reasons for this shoddy journalism.

Local and State police have to much authority, whose fault is that ours for not paying attention to our local government, and always focusing on our Federal Government. Our local and state government does more trampling on our rights than the Federal government has ever done. That said I am not naïve to stunts this current administration is trying to get away with.
I think the Feds should put its foot down on a lot things the police do. The actions of the police in this incident does not surprise me. The other misconception about local and state police is that they are out there to protect us, their job is enforce laws, protecting people from harm is a by product of enforcing laws. Here is my proof Congressional findings in a Bill currently being referred to Committee
H.R. 2252 (112th): Citizens’ Self-Defense Act of 2011
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘Citizens’ Self-Defense Act of 2011’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) Police cannot protect, and are not legally liable for failing to protect, individual citizens, as evidenced by the following:

(A) The courts have consistently ruled that the police do not have an obligation to protect individuals, only the public in general. For example, in Warren v. District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. App. 1981), the court stated: ‘[C]ourts have without exception concluded that when a municipality or other governmental entity undertakes to furnish police services, it assumes a duty only to the public at large and not to individual members of the community.’.

(B) Former Florida Attorney General Jim Smith told Florida legislators that police responded to only 200,000 of 700,000 calls for help to Dade County authorities.

(C) The United States Department of Justice found that, in 1989, there were 168,881 crimes of violence for which police had not responded within 1 hour.

(2) Citizens frequently must use firearms to defend themselves, as evidenced by the following:

(A) Every year, more than 2,400,000 people in the United States use a gun to defend themselves against criminals--or more than 6,500 people a day. This means that, each year, firearms are used 60 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives.

(B) Of the 2,400,000 self-defense cases, more than 192,000 are by women defending themselves against sexual abuse.

(C) Of the 2,400,000 times citizens use their guns to defend themselves every year, 92 percent merely brandish their gun or fire a warning shot to scare off their attackers. Less than 8 percent of the time, does a citizen kill or wound his or her attacker.

(3) Law-abiding citizens, seeking only to provide for their families’ defense, are routinely prosecuted for brandishing or using a firearm in self-defense. For example:

(A) In 2001, a grand jury had to rule on the case of 2 brothers that used firearms to protect their lives and their livelihood for their involvement in a fatal shooting in Reisterstown, Maryland. The grand jury decided not to press criminal charges. The brothers, at the time, had encountered several burglaries at their concrete business. The brothers spent the night in their warehouse armed with shotguns. One night at 1:00 in the morning the burglars returned and the brothers shot and killed 1 burglar and injured 2 of the others. The 2 injured men were charged with burglary and 2 others were charged with burglary in connection with burglaries that had occurred in a previous month at the brother’s warehouse. Burglary is known to be a violent crime and the brothers were particularly worried when they realized a gun of theirs had been stolen in a previous break-in.

(B) In 2008, a Waukegan, Illinois, store clerk shot and injured a robber. According to news reports, there was potential the clerk could face criminal charges, even though he acted in self-defense. The store clerk did not have a firearm owner’s identification card and would be charged with a State firearms violation. Additionally, Illinois law does not allow employees to carry a gun in a place of business. Rather, the law only allows individuals to carry a gun in a place of business if that individual is the owner or has proprietary interest.

(C) In September 2009, a Lithonia homeowner from Dekalb County, Georgia, was charged with aggravated assault after he shot someone who was trying to knock down the door of his home as an attempt to break into the residence. According to the neighbors, there had been trouble in the neighborhood before. A police spokesperson said the homeowner was charged because the robber was technically not inside the home. The suspected robber was charged with attempted burglary.

(D) In January 2004, Wilmette, Illinois, police charged and convicted a homeowner with misdemeanors for owning 2 handguns and violating the village handgun ban ordinance. The homeowner was also faced with a potential $750 fine for failing to renew his Illinois firearm owner’s identification card. These charges were brought after he shot a home intruder. The resident stated, ‘My Plan A is to call 911 and keep the family upstairs . . . But my Plan B is to have a loaded firearm and put a bullet in the intruder.’ The intruder entered the house 2 times, once through a dog door and the second time with a stolen house key. The homeowner had just put his children to bed when his security system was set off. The homeowner went downstairs and confronted and shot the intruder. The intruder jumped through a window and stole the family’s car to go to the hospital. The intruder was charged with 2 counts of residential burglary and 1 count of possession of a stolen vehicle.

(4) The courts have granted immunity from prosecution to police officers who use firearms in the line of duty. Similarly, law-abiding citizens who use firearms to protect themselves, their families, and their homes against violent felons should not be subject to lawsuits by the violent felons who sought to victimize them.

He can't come to your office and harass you. Your office is not public property (like a sidewalk) and you are not a public servant (like he is).

So does the Stranger Election Board still think Mayor McGinn deserves a 2nd term? A man who failed to comply with the mentioned DOJ report?
Don't forget to VOTE !! Mail that ballot in TODAY!
YOU DON'T NEED TO PUT A STAMP ON IT!! King County will pick up the postage! It is the LAW!

Help! It's the police!

GD pork patrol, f those pigs.

Thank you for writing this account, and even more so for promising to document your complaint procedure. Reckless abuse of power makes my blood boil, and the behavior of those officers is cowardly and disgusting. They don't deserve the badge, the gun, our tax dollars, or our respect.

You need to start carrying the Photographer's Bill of Rights (http://petapixel.com/2010/08/24/introduc…)

You can read what it says at http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

Being a police officer is difficult and in my experience most people who hold the job are unfit for it.

Being a police officer is a difficult job. In my experience most people who hold the job are unfit for it.

As a city police officer, I would have welcomed your presence. Indpendant citizens make great witnesses if you are a cop doing your job honestly.

They precipitate violence. Violence begets violence. They need to stop listening to whoever is telling them that WE - the mass populace - are all criminals, thugs, druggies and terrorists. Dear SPD, We outnumber you and we have more of everything you have. We're just not being jerks about it. Sincerely, The People.

These guys are missing a great job opportunity -

Mexican cartels hiring US soldiers as hi…

I had a police officer yell at me to move my car when parked in a legal Pay To Park space in south lake union. He pounded on my hood and yelled that my car was in a trolley zone and had to be moved immediately. I was picking up my kid from summer school with another parent present who witnessed the whole thing. When the officer left the scene after ordering me to move my car, the other parent directed me to back into another legal space around the corner. The officer looked in his rearview mirror and came back and ticketed me for a moving violation. He would not admit he was mistaken in the first place and that HIS actions led us to move our car to the closest "safe" spot. In court, he won. even with photos, witness. The Seatttle Police are a bunch of hot heads and our kids fear them. I believe the DOJ findings were more than accurate and the SPD has a long way to go to correct the situation

They look more like semi-retarded thugs than police officers in those pictures. Probably the reason they didn't want them to be taken.

The one little piggy looks pretty well fed, doesn't he?

Maybe someone already linked to this, but if not, this is the big eater above:

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Pa…

I believe police officers have been trained to ignore people who are merely taking photos or video. Problem is, some of them forget those instructions along the way, or perhaps never absorbed them in the first place.

Second problem is the rap on KC Sheriff's Office is that they assign their problem deputies to the Metro Transit Police. That was before the new sheriff was elected last year, and I expect him to be more responsive in dealing with the matter.

All of us who have cell phone cameras, we should learn to quickly activate the photo (or better yet, video) function. Learn to do it by touch, so you can start recording discretely if necessary.

This happens coast to coast, even and especially here in Omaha, NE. Despite all the revelations of police law-breaking and violence, the US Police State continues to be installed in cities with over a hundred thousand residents. Keep expanding the dialogue as to how supremacy can be dismantled and justice installed in the US instead.

This is what happens when you attempt to take video of police in Sweden: http://www.wimp.com/swedenpolice/

I join those who have commended you, Mr. Holden. And I agree with everything you wrote, except the very last sentence. I expect the police and sheriff's offices will determine that the officers' conduct was not acceptable, but I do NOT expect that they will be punished.