Brute force policing is being subjected to widespread public scrutiny thanks to nearly everyone having a camera in their cell phone. And the police don't like it. They've used their 'thin blue line' as a 'thick blue fog' to violate citizens' rights and otherwise act like thugs.

I sincerely hope you do go ahead with your complaint, but since police departments are self-policing, don't expect any real consequences. Police departments are like giant shared cat litter boxes. One cat defecates, and the other cats all help cover it up.

Change to fix this will only come once people start to vote for smaller government and legal drugs. less police and less non violent offenses to chase down. Neither Romney nor Obama has a good solution.

SPD officers are essentially foot soldiers of the City Council laws executed by a very liberal mayor under the guidance of federal oversight. A police officer operates under a set of rules the regular citizen is not familiar with and is at a huge disadvantage if netted into the legal system. Seattle probably has more oversight and training than most cities.

Downtown Seattle does have a high crime rate and is not that safe. The weak and disabled are routinely abused by immature thugs. And I am not talking about the police there. Complaining that the police are rude just seems idiotic to me. They are rude to set up a boundary for their job. people that feel a need to taunt that rudeness are street dumb. And if I were a police officer I would assume they had a black bloc association and sketchy motives that need my attention to maintain public safety. That is the worst case scenario but one a police officer would have to assume. People that feed a need to interject themselves into an active police response are lacking some street smarts.

But it should be ok to take photos. And if the police ask you to move just say "yes sir" and move and continue taking photos. Firemen are going to tell you the same thing. If you get caustic at the rudeness of being told to move now, you are expanding the proximity awareness of potential deadly problems to yourself. Why not be smart about it?

You can divide police into a Barney Fife category and an Andy Griffith category. You can divide the population into 50 percent honest and 50 percent not honest. Barney Fife against the 50 percent not honest is what we are seeing here. Putting up a web page giving out Fife/Griffith awards will achieve what you want to accomplish. But don't leave the bad motivations of some citizens out of the equation. They make it hard for all of us.

I have a bad impression of some police officers in Seattle. I have a worse impression of most gang thugs and all anarchists. The sooner they all disappear the happier everyone will be.

I urge everyone who thinks that police abuse their authority to schedule a ride-along with your local agency. Every single night police officers enter dark homes, respond to life-threatening situations, collisions, domestic violence, threats, fraud, trespass notices, and anything else you can imagine. The fire department will not even enter a residence unless the police enter first and make sure it is safe. And the worst part is they are met every single day with people who hate them. People hate the police until they need them.

Look into the recent article that the Seattle Times publish about the police academy. Does any other profession go through a 6 month full-time academy where they are pepper-sprayed and have to learn to defend themselves against master defensive tactics instructors? Do less than 1% of police officers make mistakes? Absolutely. Every single mistake is well documented. I urge The Stranger or anyone else reading this to look into the GREAT things that police officers do every single day in Seattle, King County, and every other agency. Go on a ride-along, and see what these men and women do on a daily basis. I think it would be enlightening when you strap on that bullet-proof vest, secure the AR-15 in the vehicle, and begin getting called to places that you would never take your family. This is not aimed at anyone specific, but doesn't the topic of cops "not being nice" or using "rank intimidation" get old?

I mean this sincerely, there is so much time spent trying to reform the police departments in all these cities, but very few people understand the profession. The Seattle PD has recently lowered the standards for their police officers, stating they want their police force to better represent their population. Is that what we want as a society? Lowered standards?

I am a 206'er, and was born and raised here. I went to a well-respected private liberal arts college where I was taught to look at all sides of a topic. I again urge people to walk a day in an officer's shoes, and read the daily published articles about police officers and corrections officers being attacked and killed. Seattle is a great thinking city, but no one can deny that it has the tendency to think one-way about situations (usually to the left of the political aisle). I challenge everyone to take another stance on topics and possibly gain some new insight...

I urge everyone who thinks that police abuse their authority to schedule a ride-along with your local agency. Every single night police officers enter dark homes, respond to life-threatening situations, collisions, domestic violence, threats, fraud, trespass notices, and anything else you can imagine. The fire department will not even enter a residence unless the police enter first and make sure it is safe. And the worst part is they are met every single day with people who hate them. People hate the police until they need them.

Look into the recent article that the Seattle Times publish about the police academy. Does any other profession go through a 6 month full-time academy where they are pepper-sprayed and have to learn to defend themselves against master defensive tactics instructors? Do less than 1% of police officers make mistakes? Absolutely. Every single mistake is well documented. I urge The Stranger or anyone else reading this to look into the GREAT things that police officers do every single day in Seattle, King County, and every other agency. Go on a ride-along, and see what these men and women do on a daily basis. I think it would be enlightening when you strap on that bullet-proof vest, secure the AR-15 in the vehicle, and begin getting called to places that you would never take your family. This is not aimed at anyone specific, but doesn't the topic of cops "not being nice" or using "rank intimidation" get old?

I mean this sincerely, there is so much time spent trying to reform the police departments in all these cities, but very few people understand the profession. The Seattle PD has recently lowered the standards for their police officers, stating they want their police force to better represent their population. Is that what we want as a society? Lowered standards?

I am a 206'er, and was born and raised here. I went to a well-respected private liberal arts college where I was taught to look at all sides of a topic. I again urge people to walk a day in an officer's shoes, and read the daily published articles about police officers and corrections officers being attacked and killed. Seattle is a great thinking city, but no one can deny that it has the tendency to think one-way about situations (usually to the left of the political aisle). I challenge everyone to take another stance on topics and possibly gain some new insight...

@kafkaesque has the right of it. The Office of Professional Accountability publishes reports on results of complaints. http://www.seattle.gov/police/OPA/public… Half of complaints end with "unfounded" ("did not occur as reported") or "inconclusive" ("could not be proved or disproved"). A small percentage end with "training referral" ("the named officer's superior will talk with named officer"), a smaller percentage end in "sustained" (usually"written reprimand").

So, yes: RECORD ALL INTERACTIONS WITH POLICE. Or your complaint, even in the face of eyewitness testimony by reliable witnesses (even superior officers, in some of the documented complaints from last quarter) will disappear as "unfounded" or "inconclusive".

It's not illegal to film the police, it is a violation of your Constitutional rights for them to arrest you for taking their pictures. Several Supreme Court rulings have ruled on the matter, and have set a precedence. In essence, these guy are not law enforcement, they are thugs and criminals.

@Seahawksfan It's good to remind folks that not all police are jerks who choose to ignore or are ignorant of basic Constitutional rights. And it's good to remind people that police voluntarily, through their choice of profession, deal with stressful and dangerous situations.

Of course, none of that excuses, in even the slightest way, the behavior of the officers in this article. Cops have a duty--a DUTY--to treat with dignity the citizens they are literally sworn to protect. Those incapable of performing their duty should be disciplined or fired. Simply put: courtesy is in their job description. Even simpler put: abuse of power is a crime.

We the people arm the police, and pay for their salaries and training. We trust them with our lives. We deserve a police force that can fully carry out their obligations to the community they serve.

When human filth gets a badge ...Everyone pays. They got away with defrauding the entire city for years for a system of accountability that never existed. They have repeatedly been caught lying on arrest reports taking innocent peoples freedom. The Seattle Police Union aided this massive fraud by instructing all officers to take the fifth stopping all investigations in use of force complaints which amounted on average to 3 PER DAY! and that is just 2011. That is just those who filed complaints. THAT IS PURE CORRUPTION! THAT IS FRAUD ON THE CITY OF SEATTLE!! Now ALL budgets have been cut across the board including help for the poor, elderly and homeless... Your taxes, school budgets and the most aggressive ticketing campaign Seattle has ever seen while the entire Seattle police department received retroactive raises going back to 2010 just his past month. EVERY SINGLE OFFICER. Its like the entire city of Seattle is being held hostage by its police department and there is nothing we can do about it. And on top of that nearly 100 percent of all Seattle cops do NOT even live in Seattle. It is Frightening what these crooked abusive pieces of garbage have gotten away with and continue to get away with. NO ONE has been charged with the massive list of crimes committed by the Seattle police department as a whole OR individual officers. NO ONE!! Ride along Seahawksfan? Seriously??? Yeah okay.

Notice the desperation of some here to excuse and defend the actions of these unlawful cops. Hurt feelings? Nope, a threat of arrest and three threats to harass a citizen at their job who did nothing wrong. They would be breaking the law by lying on their report to arrest this individual because they couldn't legally arrest him for filming. They would be breaking the law by going to this mans job and harassing him. Do you not understand that these are cops who are supposed to UPHOLD the law and they think they have the right to threaten people? Its amazing that some people can see something written so clearly and not comprehend what they just read. Also incase you were not aware of it, many Seattle police officers (and their wives) have been trolling all the local news websites to steer conversations. They usually out themselves. (see above)

thE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME BUT I WAS ARRESTED .I NEED HELP .NO ONE IS HELPING ME .I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF FILMING THE NYPD . MY JOB MY GIRL FRIEND EVEN MY FAMILY ARE AFRAID YOU CAN YOU TUBE ME SOFTEESHAKES OR JUST GOOGLE ME SOFTEESHAKES MY NAME IS ANTHONY SANTIAGO

Welcome to 1/10th of the treatment that African Americans in Seattle receive from the KCSD and SPD on a daily basis. They essentially see themselves as a new version of the klan, there to keep the 'negro criminals' in line.

Im actually surprised the Slog even published this considering their pro-mcginn/pro-SPD leanings. Mr Holden must not be part of the cap-hill 'white is right-hipster' elitist para-racist crew that makes up most of the slog. A true Coug!

@212

The OPA is staffed with SPD and KCSD officers, and lead by Kate Olsen, a McGinn appointee who was caught retaliating against people of color who complain about SPD abuse.

source- http://seattletimes.com/html/edcetera/20…

@211

The number of bad apples in the SPD is MUCH more than 1%. If you count the DOJ report and the experiences of people of color (specifically african americans and native americans) in Seattle, that number is more like 75%. Then add another 20% that cover for the other 75%. That leaves about 5%.

The SPD has a SERIOUS racism problem, specifically aimed at african americans. I dont know a single African american, including UW med students, doctors, law students, and attorneys, who has not experienced harassment and/or assault from the SPD. Literally, every other time I drive across an SPD officer, they tail me. I was once followed from Aurora to First Hill by an officer (likely looking for an excuse to harass or even assault the black person in the nicer vehicle) who waited until I parked, then ticketed my car (rightfully parked) in an unnamed parking violation with no specific named. I had it tossed out by a municipal judge, but its no surprise. I even knew a friend in graduate school who was assaulted and heard a female (white) officer refer to him as a 'f-ing smart a$$ed n-word'. When he asked about it, the officers talked, unhandcuffed him and told him to go home.

Whats sad is, Mayor McGinn has backed the SPD and its racism issues throughout his administration. He even defended them against the DOJ and outcry by Seattles Black and Native populations (a position which the Slog and writers like Goldy parrotted).

@101: It was an essay about his harassment at the hands of SPD, not himself. And what would the crackdown be of in this case? Journalistic curiosity? Cycling on public property?

I really don't feel like you are holding them accountable unless you file a complaint. Otherwise you are self-promoting. It's fine to report on a blog, but you also have to follow the procedure so that supervising bodies, like the court overseeing the force for instance, have the ability to supervise effectively.

If your lucky, they won't now come and kill your pets.

Would the author's hackles be quite as raised if he was hassled and threatened for legally carrying a gun? That happens too, you know, but it never gets any press. Why do you suppose that is?

You should tell them to visit me in Chicago, where cops have to actually worry about REAL shit.

Seattle cops, LOL.
They should visit Chicago, where there's actual shit to worry about.

With this aggressive and strange behavior. and the way these cops are hulking up, is it possible they are on steroids. After working a shift I doubt they are spending 4 to 5 hrs at the gym. Bad management will show up in employee's attitudes, but that does not explain why these cops are acting nuts.

Leave the cops alone and let them do their jobs. You have NO clue what they are responding to on that sidewalk / street corner / alleyway / who knows where. Stay out of the way. If you want to take photos, put your press badge out and move forward. Otherwise, get the heck out of the way and don't bother them. They work their asses off to keep you safe, don't make their job harder.

@226:

Complaints literally get tossed in the garbage. Even the OPA office is staffed with KCSD officers/McGinn appointee Kate Olsen (caught retaliating against those who file complaints) who rubber stamp approval to officers who assault people. Do a search on Malika Calhoun or Christopher Harris. The OPA cleared the officers.

Many of these officers live up here in Snoco and you would not believe their behavior and commentary at bars in mill creek, lynnwood and martha lake. Ive heard neonazis in Spokane that are less bigoted and violent prone than some of these guys,

I would also like to thank the reporter who wrote this article.

For those of you who want more information on the legalities of photography in public please take a minute and read an article authored by Bert P. Krages located at http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRi… who also authored an acclaimed book on the subject. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1…)

The argument "don't make the job harder for the police" just doesn't hold water.
This reporter was doing exactly what every citizen should do by recording a possible civil rights violation.

If this wasn't a reporter and instead was a person of color or a tattooed up vegan punk or any other minority you can think of what might of been a worst case scenario that we've seen before? A beating and incarceration does come to mind doesn't it.
Especially when you realize that the United State of America is the most likely place on this planet we call Earth to be thrown in a jail cell.
You are statistically less likely to be put in prison anywhere else on the planet.

Now consider that almost all inmates are men (According to the US department of justice: (http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p09.p…) In 2009, 92.9% of prisoners (not jail inmates) were male
Most of them are black (approximately 4.8% of all black men are in jail (compared to 0.7% of white men).

And that the likeliness of contracting a death sentence disease is greatly increased while incarcerated.

Reporting at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (August 3, 2008), Becky Pettit, associate professor of sociology from the University of Washington and Bryan Sykes, a UW post-doctoral researcher, revealed that the mammoth increase in the United States's prison population since the 1970s is having profound demographic consequences that affect 1 in 50 Americans. Drawing data from a variety of sources that looked at prison and general populations, the researchers found that the boom in prison population is hiding lowered rates of fertility and increased rates of involuntary migration to rural areas and morbidity that is marked by a greater exposure to and risk of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV or AIDS.[114]

Guilty Plea bargains concluded 97% of all federal cases in 2011.[115]

As of December 2012, two state prison systems segregated prisoners based on their HIV status. On December 21, U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson ruled in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of several inmates that Alabama's practice in doing so violated federal disabilities law. He noted the state's "outdated and unsupported assumptions about HIV and the prison system's ability to deal with HIV-positive prisoners." The other state with a similar segregation policy was South Carolina.[116]

You might see how ridiculously inappropriate it is for a public servant to bully any civilian. It is not important to only care about infractions when they are happening to you but when they happen to anyone.

Further reading:
Philadelphia PD memo on recording of police officers - http://www.scribd.com/doc/133145941/Phil…

-- person who read this/ If you want to respond for any reason
You can find me here.

facebook.com/saxe2600
ACAB

I would also like to thank the reporter who wrote this article.

For those of you who want more information on the legalities of photography in public please take a minute and read an article authored by Bert P. Krages located at http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRi… who also authored an acclaimed book on the subject. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1…)

The argument "don't make the job harder for the police" just doesn't hold water.
This reporter was doing exactly what every citizen should do by recording a possible civil rights violation.

If this wasn't a reporter and instead was a person of color or a tattooed up vegan punk or any other minority you can think of what might of been a worst case scenario that we've seen before? A beating and incarceration does come to mind doesn't it.
Especially when you realize that the United State of America is the most likely place on this planet we call Earth to be thrown in a jail cell.
You are statistically less likely to be put in prison anywhere else on the planet.

Now consider that almost all inmates are men (According to the US department of justice: (http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p09.p…) In 2009, 92.9% of prisoners (not jail inmates) were male
Most of them are black (approximately 4.8% of all black men are in jail (compared to 0.7% of white men).

And that the likeliness of contracting a death sentence disease is greatly increased while incarcerated.

Reporting at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (August 3, 2008), Becky Pettit, associate professor of sociology from the University of Washington and Bryan Sykes, a UW post-doctoral researcher, revealed that the mammoth increase in the United States's prison population since the 1970s is having profound demographic consequences that affect 1 in 50 Americans. Drawing data from a variety of sources that looked at prison and general populations, the researchers found that the boom in prison population is hiding lowered rates of fertility and increased rates of involuntary migration to rural areas and morbidity that is marked by a greater exposure to and risk of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV or AIDS.[114]

Guilty Plea bargains concluded 97% of all federal cases in 2011.[115]

As of December 2012, two state prison systems segregated prisoners based on their HIV status. On December 21, U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson ruled in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of several inmates that Alabama's practice in doing so violated federal disabilities law. He noted the state's "outdated and unsupported assumptions about HIV and the prison system's ability to deal with HIV-positive prisoners." The other state with a similar segregation policy was South Carolina.[116]

You might see how ridiculously inappropriate it is for a public servant to bully any civilian. It is not important to only care about infractions when they are happening to you but when they happen to anyone.

Further reading:
Philadelphia PD memo on recording of police officers - http://www.scribd.com/doc/133145941/Phil…

-- person who read this/ If you want to respond for any reason
You can find me here.

facebook.com/saxe2600
ACAB

Re recording video and audio of police:

1. From Harvard's Digital Media Law Project:
"Currently, the following U.S. Courts of Appeals have recognized a First Amendment right to record the police... Ninth Circuit (with jurisdiction over Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington): see Fordyce v. City of Seattle, 55 F.3d 436, 438 (9th Cir. 1995) (assuming a First Amendment right to record the police)."

http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/recordin…

2. A favorable 2004 decision by a 9th Circuit panel in a case out of Sequim focused on the legality of recording audio AND also discussed the implications of a police department's failure to train its officers properly, quoting this language from a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court case:

"[A] violation of federal rights may be a highly predictable consequence of a failure to equip law enforcement officers with specific tools to handle recurring situations. The likelihood that the situation will recur and the predictability that an officer lacking specific tools to handle that situation will violate citizens’ rights could justify a finding that policy-makers’ decision not to train the officer reflected “deliberate indifference” to the obvious consequence of the policymakers’ choice — namely, a violation of a specific constitutional or statutory right. The high degree of predictability may also support an inference of causation — that the municipality’s indifference led directly to the very consequence that was so predictable."

The 9th Circuit case is Johnson v. Hawe. The decision is here:
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op…

The P-I wrote about Johnson v. Hawe here: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/C…

3. On May 14, 2012, in response to a case out of Baltimore, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department wrote that police departments should put policies in place regarding individuals recording police. DOJ said there are "important First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights at stake when individuals record police officers in the public discharge of their duties. These rights, subject to narrowly-defined restrictions, engender public confidence in our police departments, promote public access to information necessary to hold our governmental officers accountable, and ensure public and officer safety."

The DOJ letter is here:
http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/doc…

too many of these 'cops' need to learn they are Public Servants NOT gangsters or our baby-sitters.
We have a Right to question them, photograph them, AND be left alone by them as WE are the Public, they are the servants. They are supposed to work for us. Otherwise the whole Democracy breaks down!
We also have a right, AND a responsibility to see how our tax dollars are being spent, as well as a responsibility to make sure that the 'Authority' bestowed on Police officers is Not being Abused!
Yes, our responsibility as citizens, is to watch out for, stand up for our neighbor's Rights (even the neighbor we don't like) and our neighbor's property (without invading privacy- leave that to cops).
All cops lie. All cops break the law. Most will swear to God in court to save their job.

too many of these 'cops' need to learn they are Public Servants NOT gangsters or our baby-sitters.
We have a Right to question them, photograph them, AND be left alone by them as WE are the Public, they are the servants. They are supposed to work for us. Otherwise the whole Democracy breaks down!
We also have a right, AND a responsibility to see how our tax dollars are being spent, as well as a responsibility to make sure that the 'Authority' bestowed on Police officers is Not being Abused!
Yes, our responsibility as citizens, is to watch out for, stand up for our neighbor's Rights (even the neighbor we don't like) and our neighbor's property (without invading privacy- leave that to cops).
All cops lie. All cops break the law. Most will swear to God in court to save their job.

Then Officer Marion said this: "I'm going to come into The Stranger and bother you while you're at work."
Many, probably Most cops have this attitude, that doing their job is ...like, sacred or more important than our job, freedom, civil rights, etc. and while there 'on the job' they can do NO WRONG.
If you do anything they don't like (e.g. protest their abusive or unlawful behavior or even shoot a Picture!) they all offended, like it is a personal attack. They like to compare it to them interfering with you (our, my?) Job...
Cops seem to think it's perfectly fine to interfere with regular people 'doing their Job' - especially reporters!, hell I've seen them pull over an Ambulance en route to Hospital.
I just can't get over their attitude. I Don't work for the city, county, gov't., I don't 'represent the gov't (of which we have a guaranteed Right to protest), Cops do.

Well done, Dominic! I am so glad you were able to post all this.

Good Job Dominic, there are a lot of good cops out there, but unfortunately this kind of work tends to attract bullies and the SPD should keep all their bullies behind a desk…

I agree totally! Most of the officer's I meet have an attitude right off the bat! They assume we are not Gentleman deserving respect, but that they are 'officers' deserving their authority! They don't see us (and it appears they are taught not too), as Citizens deserving the highest utmost of respect!

The Rude Attitudes and Escalating tactics of police officer's is seemingly being taught to be used routinely (making them fascists) in every happenstance, not de-escalation tactics as I see mentioned here.

And I agree, it's because people hardly ever 'turn bad cops in!' I'm working on a website I hope to give away, that other's can help build that is a police database, like mugshots but for Cops alone; holding their public profiles and their 'known' charges. I hope I can complete it, without being tortured for doing it. :) Namaste & Shalom

A shame for the City of Seattle to have those officers, and especially the one in the picture demonstrating an ego-trip par excellence. We have a say in Germany, "The Fish Always starts rotting/stinking from the head first", which means in this case that the leadership at the SPD should be questioned in their demeanor as well. Bullying and Harassment from a person in uniform should not be tolerated, and by the way "WE" pay you guys to get the crooks from the street and not to intimidate by-standers. When you know the International District in Seattle near King Street, you know that this is a public place. MyNorthwest.com broke the story yesterday, but now I really got the picture. Thank you for sharing, and thank you to Dominic Holden from Slog@The Stranger

I agree totally! Most of the officer's I meet have an attitude right off the bat! They assume we are not Gentleman deserving respect, but that they are 'officers' deserving their authority! They don't see as (and they are taught not too) as Citizens deserving the highest utmost of respect! The Escalating tactics of police officer's is seemingly taught as a more common routine happenstance, not de-escalation tactics!

And I agree, it's because people hardly ever 'turn bad cops in!' I'm working on a website I hope to give away, that other's can help build that is a police database, like mugshots but for Cops alone; holding their public profiles and their 'known' charges. I hope I can complete it, without being tortured for doing it. :) Namaste & Shalom

These things need to be nipped in the bud. I had something similar happen with me and a police officer, where he told me I couldn't video tape him in public domain. Look up Mapleton Elk and Boulder. Guess who was the police officer that ended up doing this and breaking the law? The same one that bullied/harassed me. Coincidence? I think not. They let their power go to their heads and need a serious slap in the face once in a while.

Sounds like time for a Section 1983 action: Government or their employees intimidating, harassing, or otherwise retaliating against you for exercising your civil rights.

Well having no respect for them calling them pigs is not going to help our relationship We do need the police to protect and serve the cities. It's a rough job and some of them get out of line but most are ok and certainly if I were in trouble I would want them to help me

Very good job in pointing this out Dominic!
Frankly I'd have been totally flabbergasted at first if cops affronted me like that, for such a null reason. Such characters definitely are in the wrong job. Mental dullness acting!
Gladly there are still aroit people like you who don't get intimidated!

GOOD FOR YOU!!! And now I will be reading your site daily so I can hear the latest. =)

Hello from Toronto. We just had an 18-year old attacked on a streetcar by the police a few days ago. Yes, he had a 3-inch knife, but the car was empty, he didn't attack anyone, he wasn't even waving it around or advancing toward anyone. He was just standing in the doorway. There were somewhere around 10 cops on hand. Instead of de-escalating and talking the guy down - which allegedly they are trained to do - they resorted to the old knuckle-dragger special forces approach, repeatedly yelling "DROP THE KNIFE! DROP THE KNIFE!" (Personally I think they enjoy doing this.) Eventually, one cop (only one - the rest obviously weren't as worried) shot the boy nine times and then (!!) tasered him.

His funeral was yesterday. Needless to say he wasn't white - he was South Asian. He had no criminal record and no history of aberrant behaviour.

The incident was caught on video. No wonder cops are afraid of cameras.

Hello from Toronto. We just had an 18-year old attacked on a streetcar by the police a few days ago. Yes, he had a 3-inch knife, but the car was empty, he didn't attack anyone, he wasn't even waving it around or advancing toward anyone. He was just standing in the doorway. There were somewhere around 10 cops on hand. Instead of de-escalating and talking the guy down - which allegedly they are trained to do - they resorted to the old knuckle-dragger special forces approach, repeatedly yelling "DROP THE KNIFE! DROP THE KNIFE!" (Personally I think they enjoy doing this.) Eventually, one cop (only one - the rest obviously weren't as worried) shot the boy nine times and then (!!) tasered him.

His funeral was yesterday. Needless to say he wasn't white - he was South Asian. He had no criminal record and no history of aberrant behaviour.

The incident was caught on video. No wonder cops are afraid of cameras.

Sorry about the double post

officers are paid to serve and protect, not being intimidating and threatening to the general public,while observing what is happening in our city, do we want to be listed as the worst city to visit, I just read the top ten worst cities to visit.

I think the really simple question is this:

If I stand across the street from an arrest and quietly observe, just standing there, no one has an issue. You see this day in, day out, in all cities. The police do something, and it attracts gawkers. Gawkers talking on their cell phones. But why is it so upsetting and distracting when one person quietly turns the camera toward the cops? How does that cause them to lose control of the situation? What are they going to do when Google Glass type technology is common place and embedded into prescription glass frames or sunglasses?

In 10-15 years, I may have a 10 megapixel camera mounted INSIDE of my prescription eyeglass frames. The great looking current iPhone 4S cameras from circa 2012 are only 5 megapixel. The popular Canon Rebel 3DS DSLR cameras are 18 megapixel. With my prescription glasses, I'll be able to from across the street with a quiet voice command tell my glasses, record, and stream 1080p zoomed in content to recording on my phone or over 4G to my home or remote server in another state--let's say, California. I will be standing on 4th & Seneca looking down the hill at the corner of 3rd & Seneca.

From the perspective of the police, down on 3rd, I will be the distance of a football field away from them. People will be walking around their police action, within yards of them. With whatever camera, at the time, I will be able to record full-frame video and photos of them as if I were feet from them. How would my presence affect their ability to work, or their safety?

Here is where I would stand (literally, Google Street view): http://goo.gl/maps/HPLOA

@234 "Leave the cops alone and let them do their jobs."

Before commenting, try reading the article first. The author simply filmed the cops. Which is a perfectly legal activity that does not interfere with their ability to do their jobs. When the cops began harassing them, he complied with their (illegal) commands. I say illegal, because cops have no right to detain you unless you've committed a crime--and a citizen has no obligation to comply with a cop's unlawful command (it's amazing that some people think you *have* to produce ID on request. You don't, in WA state.) Point being: the author left the cops alone, let them do their jobs, and was still assaulted by ignorant, abusive armed thugs in police uniforms. Their actions should alarm anyone who believes in a free and lawful democratic society.

"Stay out of the way."

He was 20-25 feet away, and moved when asked.

"If you want to take photos, put your press badge out and move forward." This statement passive-aggressively implies that a press badge is needed in order to film cops. It isn't. In America, anyone can film anybody in any public place. Including random citizens filming cops. This is well-understood, well-tested law. And yes, private property in plain view counts as "public place."

"They work their asses off to keep you safe, don't make their job harder. "
The guy at the doughnut shop works his ass off to make my doughnut. Is it okay for him to harass and intimidate me? Of course not. The argument "cops work sooo haaard, cut them a break" is ridiculous. If a cop is incapable of handling the stress of his job, then he is demonstrably unfit to hold that job. These people carry guns. It's not unreasonable to expect them to be able to keep their shit together. And not freak out when someone points a camera.

It is reasonable and fair to expect our armed public servants to act, at all times, in a calm and professional manner. We citizens SHOULD hold police to the highest possible standard. And work diligently to remove the weak and incompetent.

From the 2006 PI story that @199 linked to about Saulet's record breaking bad record: "But Saulet has a supporter in high places -- King County Executive Ron Sims. A longtime acquaintance, Sims defended Saulet and said the complaint about the homosexual slur was not sustained by sheriff's investigators."

(Anyone else having "a policeman's lot is not a happy one" stuck in their head? Probably not, but for any Penzance fans, a bit of fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4zQWPBsQ… )

@234:

Did you actually read the article or are you one of those conservatives who hears the teacher from Peanuts whenever liberals object?

Police? I call them legalized criminals

Is his hand on his gun?? WTF?

Seattle police department and the King County Sheriffs department ARE the mafia.

Frightening living in a city held hostage by the mafia.

#262: I love you! You're great! That's a great line about the Peanuts. Can I borrow it?!

@267: Thanks, DrummerGrrl. And borrow away.

He should also file a complaint with the ACLU. I don't know how well it works for cops to investigate other cops, especially when there is a culture of impropriety.

I'm a former police officer AND deputy sheriff in California. What both of these officers did was unethical, immoral and disgraceful (and quite possibly, criminal).

I hope you take this as far as possible with each of their respective departments. Saulet should've been fired a LONG time ago and has no business being employed as a cop.

Good luck!

Thank you, Dominic! I love calling the Seattle area my home. When I moved to the area back in 2000 I fell in love with the Seattle because of the spirit and culture that was in large part because of the amazing people, from residents to business owners. This kind of behavior, from the people who we should trust with our safety, damages the spirit and image of our wonderful city. I applaud you!

@271: See @272 and have a drink. You're so blindly trusting and stupidly hostile to any questioning of authority I thought it was September 12, 2001 and I was in a red state affixing a "These Colors Don't Run" bumper sticker to both my Suburban and my ATV.

Sworn to serve and neglect.

I'm a combat wounded vet of Iraq (I really hate throwing that out there, but I do for a purpose when needed), and I know some Seattle PD who are also vets and great people who bind to their oath. Offer Saulet is a bully. That's what up. No need to make excuses.

Officer Saulet, Seattle isnt a war-zone. Chill the fuck out, be a man and don't treat U.S. citizens like hostile combatants. We aren't.

Also, it looks like you need to lose some weight and run some more. Maybe some good ole' PT would do you some good in letting out you're misdirected aggression.

Thank You..Dominic Holden for your courage, It is so frustrating knowing that the police are a "service' of the City of Seattle. And how do these 'police' thugs with long histories of violations continue to work with and threaten the public.
The oppression of the black culture in this country is most painful and makes a farce of any legitmate claim to real freedom, democracy and 'equal protections'. Gregory - Kiwi

Thank You..Dominic Holden for your courage, It is so frustrating knowing that the police are a "service' of the City of Seattle. And how do these 'police' thugs with long histories of violations continue to work with and threaten the public.
The oppression of the black culture in this country is most painful and makes a farce of any legitmate claim to real freedom, democracy and 'equal protections'. Gregoryhugh - Kiwi

This is more common place and I see this happening everywhere passive members of communities live. Some are scared to take a position against these abusive departments and others just don't care as long as it does not happen to them and you would be hard pressed to make them realize it could easily be them.

Until the residents of these communities stand together and protest the actions of those that are paid by them to serve them, nothing will change and these school yard, over weight and out of shape bullies will never change and will never be disciplined for their actions.

Harassment is the volley just before the abuse begins and really when you think about it, the only time you can take advantage of it. Because once you have been arrested our great legal system that claims you are innocent until proven guilty is in reality just the opposite and it is easy for them to fool the public in thinking you are the bad guy and then it is impossible to get anyone to believe you. Problem is they hide behind their own rules that they make for themselves and are capable of altering them at any time to suit themselves.

Ever notice how most cops are either fat, short or both? I don’t know about anyone else but fat sloppy cops do not enforce the idea to me that I am safe and to think our government wants more gun control!

Lucky you didn't end up like this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4s3xIK4a…

Thank you Dominic Holden, You are probably the most reasonable progressive in Seattle, even if you do work for the corporatist underground media.

This is what we need to see, your job and courage inspire us...
Thank you for doing this.

All Cops are corrup! If they aren't personally corrrupt then they are aiding by not arresting or turning in their fellow officer at almost every stop their at. They brake the law or they watcch it being broken by their fellow bully Cop. I'm not glad you had to go to through this but I'm glad you witnessed this Police abuse 1st hand. More and more people are jseeing that Copsare the criminal gang bangers in uniforms.. thank you for writing this and telling the people about this corrupt system. Keep spreading the word and show the people that Cops are nothing but Coward/Bullys with a badge.

A policeman put on his uniform
He'd like to have a gun just to keep him warm
Because violence here is a social norm - The Police

Great job, Dominic! In all my years I've never met an on-duty or off-duty cop I liked. Cocks even off the clock.

All Cops are corrup! If they aren't personally corrrupt then they are aiding by not arresting or turning in their fellow officer at almost every stop their at. They brake the law or they watcch it being broken by their fellow bully Cop. I'm not glad you had to go to through this but I'm glad you witnessed this Police abuse 1st hand. More and more people are jseeing that Copsare the criminal gang bangers in uniforms.. thank you for writing this and telling the people about this corrupt system. Keep spreading the word and show the people that Cops are nothing but Coward/Bullys with a badge.

Stories like this always make me sad. I have to believe that most of the people who choose police work as a career are motived by a desire to improve society, protect their neighbors, or maintain order. There's something that happens, though, when there are several officers together. It's almost as if the territorial testosterone-ism magnifies and makes them unreasonable, cranky, prickly reactionaries.

Yes. I know their jobs can be dangerous and that they have to deal with situations where people treat them poorly. I get that. I just wish that when they reach that tipping point where they start to believe everyone but their immediate family should be treated like a criminal they'd find something else to do.

Citizens are not the enemy and cameras aren't weapons. Just stop it.

"It was minor because you are white. If you were nonwhite, it would likely have become nonminor."

That's an absolute irresponsible comment. You have no proof of this.it would have escalated if the writer of this article had addressed the officers aggression with more aggression. Your comment does nothing but erode valid moments of racial discrimination.you're in fact making it harder for those wore are harassed because of their race harder to fight real wrongs. Not only that but you are, without evidence claiming these officers of being racist. This article proves nothing of racism and if you claim that the history of police has hadevidence of racism so it must be true.then you are using a stereotype to support your claim they cops are racist. Doing so is the same as someone stereotyping a person based on their race. if it's okay for you to do it based on the color of someones uniform then why is it not okay to do the same based on the color of their skin.

Stereotypes come from atleast some seed of truth. But when you use Stereotypes to claim you're right even if it's not just race you've already lost credibility in Any debate and more importantly in a court of law

"It was minor because you are white. If you were nonwhite, it would likely have become nonminor."

That's an absolute irresponsible comment. You have no proof of this.it would have escalated if the writer of this article had addressed the officers aggression with more aggression. Your comment does nothing but erode valid moments of racial discrimination.you're in fact making it harder for those wore are harassed because of their race harder to fight real wrongs. Not only that but you are, without evidence claiming these officers of being racist. This article proves nothing of racism and if you claim that the history of police has hadevidence of racism so it must be true.then you are using a stereotype to support your claim they cops are racist. Doing so is the same as someone stereotyping a person based on their race. if it's okay for you to do it based on the color of someones uniform then why is it not okay to do the same based on the color of their skin.

Stereotypes come from atleast some seed of truth. But when you use Stereotypes to claim you're right even if it's not just race you've already lost credibility in Any debate and more importantly in a court of law

You've struck a chord -- so many comments! This is why my colleagues and I work on projects like www.whereiamgoing.org (see #whereiamgoing on Twitter) -- stop-and-frisk is carried out in a way that shows police abusing their power, and changing the lives of people who have to fear being stopped anywhere they go.

2 things. 1 I would have let them arrest me, and then my lawyer would have tap danced all over their badges(and I am sure the news media would have had a field day with this one as well).and 2 If officer Marion did show up at my work to harass me I would have him force-ably removed because my office is considered private property.

And furthermore why are there 7 police officers harassing someone who's only crime seems to be being a black man with a notebook in public.(unless there were signs clearly posted that said no loitering but even then the person described that there were other people there at the time.

@buttercupsprinkles spoken like a true police officer, and while I am very grateful to have the good police officers 1 this is in fact his business because clearly these officers do not seem to have good reason for asking this gentleman to leave.2 As far as vilifying the police their reputation is based on their actions maybe you should thank these jerks for abusing their authority and giving good officers a bad rap to begin with.Now in your defense the media also seems to only report the negative and personally that should change.3 Yes we do realize that the Police are protecting us from the criminal element, that however does not give you the right to violate the laws yourselves or make you impervious to criticism need I remind you that police officers swore to uphold the constitution not wipe their butts with it.If they can't handle the public then maybe they should seek work elsewhere.Finally you asked if the person had been white would he have been as concerned and have taken the picture.Well let me ask you if the man was white would there be 7 officers surrounding him? (and for the record I am white).

There are a lot of comments here, so I could be echoing what has already been said, but... The original photo really bothers me. Why are so many officers surrounding someone? It would be nice to not lose sight of the situation that influenced the photographing/questions in the first place.

Thank you for this. Something similar happened to me in Cambridge, Mass. I'm a journalist in Boston who took three photos with my iPhone of an arrest on a sidewalk outside of a restaurant. One of the cops told me that I wasn't allowed to do that and he blocked my path with his body as I tried to walk by him on the sidewalk. He demanded I give him my phone, claiming that it was "evidence in a crime scene." When I refused, aware of my rights, he then tried to take it out of my hand. I pulled my hand away from him, and put the phone in the back pocket of my jeans. Then he lurched for it IN MY BACK POCKET. I jumped back and told him that his actions were illegal and qualified as harassment. He eventually backed down, but not without lying and bullying a citizen doing something legal in plain sight.

This is appalling. Good for reporters to do their job and report on it.

Incidents like this are one of the reasons I seldom venture into Seattle anymore and infrequently into King County either. I grew up there and it is nothing at all like it was then or since I moved out of the city and county 33 years ago. I don't place a lot of faith in the police where I live now, but at least I don't particularly fear that I'll be arrested or even shot for doing nothing. And I've also interacted in a positive manner with the sheriff's dept. in the county I now reside in.
Bad LEOs, like Saulet and Marion, need to be demoted and retrained on how to deal with and interact properly with the public at large, the tax-payers, from which they derive their income, or be drummed out of law enforcement altogether.

Incidents like this are one of the reasons I seldom venture into Seattle anymore and infrequently into King County either. I grew up there and it is nothing at all like it was then or since I moved out of the city and county 33 years ago. I don't place a lot of faith in the police where I live now, but at least I don't particularly fear that I'll be arrested or even shot for doing nothing. And I've also interacted positive manner with the sheriff's dept. in the county I now reside in.
Bad LEOs, like Saulet and Marion, need to be demoted and retrained on how to deal with and interact properly with the public at large, the tax-payers from which they derive the income, or be drummed out of law enforcement altogether.

Thanks to Dominic for probing the SPD’s public complaint mechanism at OPA in search of clear answers and rational consequences for police misconduct. As I read about the interactions between Dominic and OPA investigator, and the investigator’s groping search for the applicable SPD policy provision, I thought it might be helpful to remind everyone (and I’m sure Dominic knows this already) that the rule against police misconduct doesn’t always reside among the weeds of administrative police procedures. Well, at least not explicitly.

There is no question that peaceful observation of a police officer, even when laced with criticism, is an activity protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. See Houston v. Hill, 482 U.S. 451, 472 (1987) (“First Amendment protects a significant amount of verbal criticism and challenge directed at police officers. Speech is often provocative and challenging.... [But it] is nevertheless protected against censorship or punishment, unless shown likely to produce a clear and present danger of a serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance, or unrest.”) (emphasis added) (internal quotation marks omitted). Moreover, a person (journalist or otherwise) does not interfere with law enforcement and thus cannot be arrested, consistent with the Fourth Amendment, by simply observing police activity from sidewalk and taking photographs. See Dubner v. San Francisco, 266 F.3d 959, 967 (9th Cir. 2001) (“Dubner's undisputed testimony is that she was at the Moscone Center to observe the demonstration and take photographs of the protestors. There is no indication that her conversations with attendees were intended to or had the effect of intimidating them. In fact, her behavior was indistinguishable from that of any member of the press, a curious passerby, or a legal observer”).

State law is similar and requires that a person engage in some act other than speech before he or she can be lawfully arrested for obstructing a police officer in the performance of his/her duty. See State v. Williams, 171 Wn.2d 474 (2011)

The actions by Officer Marion may well have been harassment, but it also sounds like First Amendment retaliation. It seems puzzling that the OPA investigator had trouble finding the apt SPD regulation to deal with that type of misconduct. Of course, it can be found in Section 5.001.III.A of the SPD Manuel: “Employees shall be knowledgeable of and obey Federal and State laws, and the laws and ordinances of the City of Seattle.” And a “Citizen Complaint” is defined as “an allegation of employee misconduct from any source outside the Department [may] include, but are not necessarily limited to, allegations of: violations of Department policies, procedures, rules and regulations, and violations of federal, state or local laws.” Section 11.001.II.A.1 (emphasis added).

I don’t have the King County Sheriff’s Department policy manual at my fingertips, but I bet there are similar policy provisions there. So the Sheriff’s Office might want to remind Sgt. Saulet. And by the way, Sgt. Saulet’s attempt to shoo Dominic out of the County’s “transit station property” doesn’t square with the First Amendment either. Whether or not Dominic was standing “on the plaza [that] belongs to King County Metro's International District Station” is not the important distinction. It’s whether the County maintains a public forum in the area that Dominic stepped two feet out of, and back onto the Seattle sidewalk. I bet you the County would be hard-pressed to argue that the area is not a public forum or that its officers may target individuals for their speech. See United States v. Grace, 461 U.S. 171, 177 (1983) (“public places historically associated with the free exercise of expressive activities, such as streets, sidewalks, and parks, are considered, without more, to be public forums”). So the Sheriff’s Office might want to pass that tip down to Sgt. Saulet, too.

David Whedbee


Thanks to Dominic for probing the SPD’s public complaint mechanism at OPA in search of clear answers and rational consequences for police misconduct. As I read about the interactions between Dominic and OPA investigator, and the investigator’s groping search for the applicable SPD policy provision, I thought it might be helpful to remind everyone (and I’m sure Dominic knows this already) that the rule against police misconduct doesn’t always reside among the weeds of administrative police procedures. Well, at least not explicitly.

There is no question that peaceful observation of a police officer, even when laced with criticism, is an activity protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. See Houston v. Hill, 482 U.S. 451, 472 (1987) (“First Amendment protects a significant amount of verbal criticism and challenge directed at police officers. Speech is often provocative and challenging.... [But it] is nevertheless protected against censorship or punishment, unless shown likely to produce a clear and present danger of a serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance, or unrest.”) (emphasis added) (internal quotation marks omitted). Moreover, a person (journalist or otherwise) does not interfere with law enforcement and thus cannot be arrested, consistent with the Fourth Amendment, by simply observing police activity from sidewalk and taking photographs. See Dubner v. San Francisco, 266 F.3d 959, 967 (9th Cir. 2001) (“Dubner's undisputed testimony is that she was at the Moscone Center to observe the demonstration and take photographs of the protestors. There is no indication that her conversations with attendees were intended to or had the effect of intimidating them. In fact, her behavior was indistinguishable from that of any member of the press, a curious passerby, or a legal observer”).

State law is similar and requires that a person engage in some act other than speech before he or she can be lawfully arrested for obstructing a police officer in the performance of his/her duty. See State v. Williams, 171 Wn.2d 474 (2011)

The actions by Officer Marion may well have been harassment, but it also sounds like First Amendment retaliation. It seems puzzling that the OPA investigator had trouble finding the apt SPD regulation to deal with that type of misconduct. Of course, it can be found in Section 5.001.III.A of the SPD Manuel: “Employees shall be knowledgeable of and obey Federal and State laws, and the laws and ordinances of the City of Seattle.” And a “Citizen Complaint” is defined as “an allegation of employee misconduct from any source outside the Department [may] include, but are not necessarily limited to, allegations of: violations of Department policies, procedures, rules and regulations, and violations of federal, state or local laws.” Section 11.001.II.A.1 (emphasis added).

I don’t have the King County Sheriff’s Department policy manual at my fingertips, but I bet there are similar policy provisions there. So the Sheriff’s Office might want to remind Sgt. Saulet. And by the way, Sgt. Saulet’s attempt to shoo Dominic out of the County’s “transit station property” doesn’t square with the First Amendment either. Whether or not Dominic was standing “on the plaza [that] belongs to King County Metro's International District Station” is not the important distinction. It’s whether the County maintains a public forum in the area that Dominic stepped two feet out of, and back onto the Seattle sidewalk. I bet you the County would be hard-pressed to argue that the area is not a public forum or that its officers may target individuals for their speech. See United States v. Grace, 461 U.S. 171, 177 (1983) (“public places historically associated with the free exercise of expressive activities, such as streets, sidewalks, and parks, are considered, without more, to be public forums”). So the Sheriff’s Office might want to pass that tip down to Sgt. Saulet, too.

@302

\The OPA is a joke, and its run by McGinn appointee Kate Olsen, who was under fire last year for getting caught retaliating against minorities who file complaints about SPD officers.

The story was right here in the slog.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…