With you up until you named Sgt. Blair against her wishes.
That strikes as being petty, man. It's the process that is to be transparent, not the persons.

I'm predicting a week long suspension (with pay) and some sort of "retraining" that basically involves a day of writing "I will escalate situations" 100 times on the chalkboard.

@1) We've decided to name all of the officials who have influence over this process. Furthermore, she is quoted in this piece as a source of information, and, whenever possible, I believe readers have a right to know where that information is coming from.

Until there is at least a city-level law that actually includes personal liability and criminal risk for certain offenses, this simply won't stop. The bizarre anxiety surrounding photography and police forces makes zero sense.

I've mailed the City Council and Mayor's office asking if anyone would be willing to sponsor city legislation that explicitly bars anyone paid with City of Seattle tax revenues in any way from interfering with any photo or videography unless there is an immediate and pressing safety issue. Violation of that law would carry progressive criminal penalties. If any vendors--such as security or anything else--that takes cash from the city has an employee violate the law more than so many times in a ten year period, they're barred from all city contracts for the next ten years. Financial and criminal penalty-aversion motivations for everyone.

Our backwards Washington state laws hinder the city in certain ways from certain things, but the city, as far as I'm aware, has near maximum authority in this area. Here's hoping out of the nine city council members and one mayor that I mailed yesterday, at least one person has the political willpower to do what is right.

"I have known Mr. Holden personally for many years, have regular communications with him and have assured him that we will get to the truth."

The lesson here? If you're a friend of the police chief, you'll get preferential treatment. If you were just a regular Central area resident, would every police officer get an email from Pugel admonishing them? Hahahaha.

@5 you left off, "news editor of a Pulitzer prize winning newspaper" and "an event that reached the level of national attention thanks to social media like Facebook and Reddit". You can't make up a worse target for harassment, short of this officer barging into the middle of a live Dan Savage CNN interview or something.

Cops always change the question - and if you ask them one, they answer a different question than the one you asked.

That plus ignoring the law about citizens being CITIZENS not serfs.

Even with the DOJ agreement, its clear that the SPD arent going to change their culture of intimidation, harassment and obvious racial prejudice, they are just going to find another way to mask it.

The fact that the Police Union prevents almost all 'for cause' dismissals doesnt help either. Its all but impossible to fire a cop in Washington. Moreso with the SPD (and its 65-100k a year salary for officers).

The city needs a stronger mayor who is not in the SPD's pocket, ala McGinn, or this culture will continue. (Its sad that the stranger and some of its contributors *cough cough goldy* have turned a blind eye to the SPD, McGinns support and the vitriol towards Seattle residents/workers of color). Ive lived in several cities and towns from the west coast, to the deep south to the midwest, including cities that also had police that had the DOJ (and in one case the FBI) come in and require changes to their police. Seattles police are, by long and far, the WORST offenders. I dont know what kind of culture theyve propagated, but the bigotry and hate for blacks and natives, as well as any white person who dares question their abuse, is palpable.

As I was mentioning in the other article on this, Ive spent time in places (spokane, cour d'alene) where neonazis are less aggressively hostile towards blacks and natives than the SPD are in Seattle. At the very least, the skinheads arent out looking for minorities to abuse, theyll settle for those that come across them. The SPD seems to see its job as harassers, enforcers and bludgeoners of Seattles Black, Brown and Red communities.

It also helps if you are a prominent journalist with a reputation for tenacity. Nothing would come of the complaints if you weren't.

Deliberate attempts at intimidation, and harassment, are exactly what too many SPD officers practice. I'm happy to see you pursue this, Dominic.

You can put lipsick on proto fascism, but....

There should be no secrets with public officials and their process. All parties should be transparently named. Bair *is* part of the complaint process, right? What's to hide?? The fact that she wants to stay under the radar does not bode well for the integrity of the process or the OPA. With most if not all complaints, including my complaint last year, the OPA will find there was no merit and no violation. This one they can't shove aside quite so easily.

It is obvious that there is little separating SPD officer John Marion from the now infamous police chief of Gilberton, Pennsylvania, Mark Kessler, who recently made the news spewing violent rhetoric on youtube.
Men such as Mr. Marion and Mr. Kessler are mentally unstable, view those who they have sworn to protect as enemy combatants to be subdued and terrorized, and should not be trusted with the awesome responsibilty inherent in being a police officer.

This is not intended to diminish the officer's actions, which are harassment, but it seems like the sense of his words were:

You're coming to my place of business and fucking with me, so I should go to yours and fuck with you.

It's like when people heckle stand-up comedians and the comedian says, "I don't go to your job and slap dicks out of your mouth, so don't interrupt me when I'm working"

That's not how you took it, and his behavior was wrong, but I would suggest his intent was less threatening than you are choosing to take it. You are, however, absolutely right to pursue this and take advantage of your position to follow it through

So they're going to send Officer Marion to Charm School?

Erica C. Barnett got a canister of pepper spray in the eyes for trying to take a photo of police brutality on May Day. This is what they do to journalists. For other citizens, it's much worse.

I'll continue to always avoid the police, and will only talk to them if my life depends on it. The police department should be disarmed and defunded.

@14 It kind of reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer's date heckles Jerry doing stand-up, so Jerry decides to return the favor and heckle her at her job.

@14

Finally, a voice of reason, thank you. My take on this whole thing is that Dominic is a major pussy. If you are threatened by words like that, then you are truly a lily-livered wus. Can't imagine how you'd react to a real threat. Maybe run home to mommy?

Your post just served to embarrass yourself more than anything else. The fact that so many people are backing you up is just further proof of how weak, thin-skinned, and downright pathetic Seattlites are. Go to any real city and all your panties will be constantly up in a wad & you'll be crying and scared every day with every encounter. *eye roll*

Uhhhh, the fact the the officer considers a reporter doing a job as somehow "fucking with me" may be the answer here. Your analogy is not an equal equation... It is certainly no part of the officers job to visit Dominic's workplace unless there is a specific complaint or invitation. On the other hand, Dominic's job REQUIRES him to be in the public (the officers workplace) both questioning and recording....a definite and distinct threat was made, assuming Dominic is speaking truthfully. That is simply illegal, not merely rude or inappropriate.. it is criminal...

Actually Seven, no, there's a huge difference between "I WOULDN"T come to your place of work and harass you" as said by comedians to hecklers and "give me your card so I CAN come harass you said by someone with a freaking gun!

If you can't see that, and you're actually insinuating that this reporter "took it" some way that other rational people wouldn't, I suggest that perhaps your preferences are the ones that need to be looked at - perhaps you want to take it as a lighthearted jab like a comedian would make, and somehow wackily are able to erase the glaringly obvious (to everyone else) difference between a comedian and a man authorized to shoot you by our government and give a pass while calling for the victim to rethink his assessment.

It's such a bizarre sort of cultural Stockholm Syndrome at play. And it's almost more terrifying than the original harassment, because it's sloppy thinking like that which shuts up legitimate complaints and allows control freaks to do what they do. I suggest reading deeply about the chill effects of this sort of groupthink endorsement of authority in anything they choose to do.

Actually Seven, no, there's a huge difference between "I WOULDN"T come to your place of work and harass you" as said by comedians to hecklers and "give me your card so I CAN come harass you said by someone with a freaking gun!

If you can't see that, and you're actually insinuating that this reporter "took it" some way that other rational people wouldn't, I suggest that perhaps your preferences are the ones that need to be looked at - perhaps you want to take it as a lighthearted jab like a comedian would make, and somehow wackily are able to erase the glaringly obvious (to everyone else) difference between a comedian and a man authorized to shoot you by our government and give a pass while calling for the victim to rethink his assessment.

It's such a bizarre sort of cultural Stockholm Syndrome at play. And it's almost more terrifying than the original harassment, because it's sloppy thinking like that which shuts up legitimate complaints and allows control freaks to do what they do. I suggest reading deeply about the chill effects of this sort of groupthink endorsement of authority in anything they choose to do.

"I asked him what happens if a complaint doesn't fall neatly into a category for which there's a penalty, a question that Murphy described as 'a hypothetical.'"

Um... sounds like maybe it's no longer just hypothetical?

@18 it's spelled "Compensation", not "Confluence".

An independent reporter should be covering this as a hard news story. Blog about it all you want, but don't pass your blogs off as news - you're involved, there is an inherent bias.

I have filed at least two OPA complaints. The first was after a Seahawks game when I witnessed an aloof, chatty officer forcefully grab two (not-drunk) pedestrians who had just crossed the street legally at a crosswalk with a yes-walk sign, pull them back across the street, then shove them in the other direction—apparently because he was angry that they had crossed the (completely closed) street without his permission, despite the fact that he was not paying attention to what was happening and they had a legal right to cross the street.

From the sidewalk, I asked for his badge number, and the officer responded "why don't you come say that to my face?" So I approached the officer, stopped ten feet away for my safety, and re-iterated my badge number request, only to have him respond, "you'd better get out of the street if you know what's good for you." I reiterated my request multiple times, and someone in the sidewalk crowd started shouting stuff like, "That's fucked up! You have to tell him your badge number!" and the officer finally told me his badge number.

I filed a complaint with OPA, alleging that the officer repeatedly refused to provide his badge number when requested, and threatened me when I asked for it. It turned out the two men he assaulted had filed complaints, so I became a supporting witness in their OPA case. OPA never ruled on my allegation, and instead sent me a ruling that the officer was guilty of *using inappropriate language* in dealing with the two men, but did not assault them. I was left wondering whether anyone at OPA noticed my clearly-articulated complaint about the officer refusing to give me his badge number and threatening me. It was a shitty experience at every turn.

The second complaint was after an off-duty officer detained me at the walkie-talkie-request of a private security guard one block away, because the private security guard demanded that I stop riding my bike on the sidewalk (uphill at 1 mile per hour) and I ignored him, because I can. I really just wanted a supervisor to talk to the officer—I really was complaining that he was rude to me—but when I spoke to his supervisor, she told me she could do no such thing and that if I wanted to pursue the matter whatsoever, I would need to file an OPA complaint. So I did, because I didn't want to just drop it.

In the second case, I was assigned OPA investigator Sgt. Bair—the same woman handling Dom's complaint. She was, in my experience, one of the most intelligent, thoughtful, and compassionate cops I have ever interacted with. She not only listened to me—a rarity with police, in my experience—she was actually able to say back to me what I had said, the crux of my complaint. I was so blown away by that simple, powerful, human act, it brought tears to my eyes, and still does. Sgt. Bair ended up dismissing my complaint and causing a supervising sergeant to discuss the situation with the officer. I wished I didn't have to file a complaint at all, but getting to meet Sgt. Bair made it worth it. She was absolutely amazing to me, and I wished we had more police like her.

So you have the alphas - they go about their business - they don't desire to lead. They just do stuff, and people follow them.

Then you have the betas - they figure out ways TO lead - every dictator in the world, at least part of every police force (the part that need to do harassing stuff like this and worse) and really everyone who NEEDS to control others, are betas. The people who back them up are the scared little gammas who can't tell the difference.

Reporters standing up to these stupid beta control freaks who make their whole lives out of gaining control may not be alphas themselves but they much more accurately represent the alpha energy, which tends to fight only when it's pushed too far by the betas power crazed maneuvering. Police work for us. If they are harassing us, we collectively need to stop them. People are backing this man because he's doing what we all should be doing. They are following real leadership staking out claims for human dignity.

Your thinking is flawed. And bullying is a beta move. But I guess it makes you feel safe to be the bully beta when the other betas with guns are backing you up, huh?

@8, araucania wrote, "its 65-100k a year salary for [SPD] officers"

That is incorrect. The last figures I saw, from a couple years ago if I remember correctly, indicate that more than 50% of Seattle Police Department's sworn officers were paid more than $100,000 per year by the City of Seattle.

Hang on now - since when are columnists not allowed to write about their actual experiences? This is not being written in anyway different from other columns I've seen. You can believe the man or not. You can check into it yourself. But are you going to ask yourself tough questions like "could it be that I simply do not want to believe this could happen because I want to align myself with the people I think have power even though some deep thought is needling at me that if you have to carry a gun and try to intimidate and bully people maybe, just maybe it's a sign of weakness and not strength|" and it's getting harder and harder to keep yourself from remembering those people you've known who really demonstrated true strength and how, except when they were pushed into a fight they couldn't avoid, were actually peaceful and loving and heroic.

Nah, nevermind. What was I thinking!?

@21, @26 Look, Sondra, you've obviously got more book-learnin' than I do. I lost track of your alpha/beta/gamma thread.

No one is saying the cop is awesome here, but you surely recognize that cops always feel threatened by the nature of their jobs and by the nature of their celebrity and by feeling like targets.

Dom and other white folks with cameras make them feel the way they make poor people feel. But instead of helping them see that, these situations just make the gap between all of us greater.

Seems to me that telling them they need to act like Officer Step and Lieutenant Fetchit is the wrong message. You serve me, you blue dog, now pose for my camera!

It was wrong of them to raise their voice to Dom. It was wrong of them to tell him something legal was illegal. It was wrong of them to threaten him. But the message needs to be, "Everybody treat everyone with respect," and not, "Watch your fucking mouth, Starsky, you work for me! I'm a reporter who knows the Chief! Gotcha!"

What bothers me about this is that if this complaint was brought up by a woman, would there be a greater sense of urgency? Intimidation is intimidation and threatening to show up at someone's home, work, etc is trespassing/harassment that should DEFINITELY be included in the manual and falls under potential stalking regulations.

@6: I'm sure that the fact that Holden is a journalist for a small weekly has something to do with the response. Just how much is in question.

What's not in question is the way that Pugel refers to Holden in the email - as a longtime acquaintance. That Pugel notes that fact in this rather extraordinary email to his officers is pretty fucking interesting. It speaks to his attitude toward the complaint. "This is a friend of mine. Don't fuck with my friends." That's something we all say, and for good reasons, but when you say this as the Chief of Police to your charges, those good reasons evaporate.

Also, Erica C. Barnett, a journalist of roughly similar import, got physically assaulted by the SPD earlier this year - that shit was videotaped and everything. Did Pugel send out an admonishing email to his staff then? Hell no.

what @20 said.@14 is wrong, there's no comparison. Standup comedians don't demand your business card with a gun on their hip. @18 is just an asshole.

14, here is where you are wrong:
Taking a pic of a public official in a public space is not "fucking with" that official.
Comparing an entertainer, working in a private space which you have paid money to see, w/ an armed public official is patently absurd.
You weren't there, all you have is Dom's first person account. So you have no basis of judgment on whether the cop's intent was more or less threatening. Dom certainly felt it was, and he was there.
Finally, your characterization of doing an entirely legal thing in a public space (taking a pic of cops in action) as demanding that cops play 'steppin fetchit' is simply delusional. If you must stretch an analogy that far to make your point, then the point isn't worth it to be made.

OK? If Dom had shouted some slogans, yelled "Pigs!" or started singing "Cop Killer," then your point could be stretched to fit & not lose all credulity. But he didn't. The point can be easily read in the above post & the original article, should you chose to do so, but here it is again for you: the cops created a situation where none existed in the first place. If you equate recording a cop's interactions w/ the public as intimidation, then YOU are part of the problem, not the solution.

@34 - THANK YOU.

It's like someone walking by and saying "Good morning" and replying with "Come back here and I'll show YOU a good fucking morning, asshole!"

"Dude, what's your problem?"

"You shouldn't have said good morning. Give me your business card!"

Totally reasonable, right Seven?

Query - Why do you always go the A-hole route? "Sergeant Krista Bair, the OPA investigator who is handling my intake and is a total pro, asked that I not identify her by name. I made no promise. I understand her wanting to stay out of this, but I am naming her anyway because this process should be transparent." This was totally unnecessary and hostile and added nothing to what would otherwise be a good story. I suggest you go watch "Absence of Malice" and learn a little something of what your callous disregard looks like to others.

@25, Ben wrote of an experience during which a Seattle Police Department officer assaulted two men then "repeatedly refused to provide his badge number when requested, and threatened [Ben] when [Ben] asked for it."

Instead of specifically requesting a badge number, which may result in the receipt of less information than SPD staff are required to communicate in such a circumstance, I suggest politely asking them to identify themselves, and if they are at all reluctant to do so, to follow up with a request that they identify themselves in writing. Be ready to remind them that department policy requires them to provide name and serial number. Sometimes such a request makes things a bit tense, so I also suggest having a video camera rolling in case the public servant with whom one places this request reacts inappropriately. My personal policy is to initiate all contact with them this way. I don't like to interact with anonymous people with weapons and license to use them with impunity.

The following is quoted from SPD's policies and procedures manual, revision 2011-05-21, chapter 5.001 "Standards & Duties":

5. Duty to Identify

a. Provided that no investigation is jeopardized, no police function is hindered, and safety considerations permit, when a citizen requests a Department employee engaged in Department related activities to identify themselves (including but not limited to requests for name, badge number, or serial number), the employee shall do the following:

(1) Uniformed, sworn employees and Parking Enforcement Officers shall provide their name, and Department serial number verbally, or if requested, in writing, or provide a Department-issued business card that contains their name and serial number.

(2) Non-uniformed, sworn employees shall display their badge and Department identification card, and shall provide their name and Department serial number verbally, or if requested, in writing, or provide a Department-issued business card that contains their name and assignment.

(3) Civilian employees shall verbally provide their name and Department serial number, or provide a Department-issued business card that contains their name and serial number, and shall display their Department identification card if specifically requested to do so.

I have numerous videos of SPD staff violating this policy. I hope to sift through those and file complaints someday.

@36: "A-hole route"? This is a public employee, whose job is to interact with the public, taking a report about government malfeasance on the part of another public employee, from a newspaper editor. The idea that Ms. Bair should remain anonymous in Dominic's reporting of this story is ridiculous.

I think you should let him do at your workplace what you did: stand on the nearest public property, take a picture in your general direction. And if he asks you any questions as you leave the scene, you should answer them to the extent that you're obligated to do so (not at all).

God, I pity the spouse of that rage machine.

@41: Records of SPD's investigation of your complaint, as well as any other complaints filed about an officer, are public record. Until just a few years ago, they were, in effect, not so. Now, SPD must, and I know from personal experience that they do, provide these records upon request. Your case sounds like it would be of interest to the public. If you follow up here with details, I will request the report and publish it on the Web.

Yup to all of it.

Interesting John Marion history, given some of the comments here:

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/polic…

Ironically, if he had come to bother you at work that would be good as it would enable you to write a story withou leaving the office.

@45: "You know Mike McGinn is in charge of the SPD, right? He could fire all of them if he wanted to."

I know that you have a tendency towards hyperbole and speaking about things that you don't know much about, but you're outdoing yourself here.

SPD officers and command staff are a) civil service employees and b) members of strong of unions. The officers are represented by the awfully named SPOG (Seattle Police Officer's Guild), which is notoriously powerful and intransigent and has been the major impediment to reform for years.

Even if McGinn were so inclined the only person in SPD that he could possibly fire is the Chief and he would be an absolute fool to do so.

Contra what some others have said, Pugel is outstanding. He is the best things to happen to SPD since maybe forever and he is working to fix the department. But even he can't just fire a cop, without going through a cumbersome process.

" As for the policies—she says my complaint would likely be governed by section 5.001 in the SPD's Policy and Procedures Manual..."

I am confused by this statement. Why wouldn't section 5.160 (Citizen Observation of Officers) cover this?

Was it right or wrong for Mr. Holden to name Officer Bair in the article? That's the wrong question to ask. The right question is "Why did Officer Bair want to keep her name secret?"

It is a police officer's duty to interact with civilians with- wait for it- civility and respect. Police officers are public servants and should be of- wait for it- service to the public. It is not a civilian's duty to swallow little man bullshit from those in authority. It is actively negligent of a civilian to remain silent when those in authority abuse their power in any way. It is actively ignorant of civilians to deride other civilians for speaking out against those in authority who abuse their power.

@18: Pussies don't speak truth to power; they mock those who do as pussies because they won't risk it themselves. It's called projection. It's also called being a coward.

Its weird how gnossis, goldy and grckle seem to go so far out of their way to defend McGinn and the SPD's problems. One would almost think they actually AGREE with SPD bullying, racism, and unaccountability.

Ho Hum, what am I saying...nevermind. Forget I said anything. Its not like people who secretly agree with the socially reprehension would ever lie about it publically. Just ask 90k year SPD officer Shandy Cobane!

@29: maybe @26 has some book-learnin', but if she read Brave New World, she doesn't remember it too well.

@18,

In his original post, Dominic said it best himself:

Let me be the first say it: This is not a big case. Seattle police have punched, kicked, and killed people in recent years. What happened to me was minor. But I'm writing about it because it's minor. Officers went out of their way to threaten a civilian with arrest and workplace harassment for essentially no reason. Because they could. Because they didn't like being watched.

I'll bet this sort of harassment happens every day. Cops treat normal, law-abiding people like garbage—and it works. Most people don't complain; they get intimidated. They get bullied, they back down, and the cops never face any scrutiny.
……………………
This minor incident is a symptom of a larger problem, and yes, it merits attention. For years, I lived in Chicago neighborhoods in which no one would call the police under any circumstances. People were shot, stabbed, and burned alive, and still it was universally acknowledged no situation was so bad that the police couldn't make it worse. The only way to stop shit like this is to report it, and Dominic is an excellent position to do so.

On a side note: now I live near Chief Kessler's neck of the woods. Seems I can't win for losing.

48 dear, just for the record, the city has played hardball with the most powerful unions in the past, and won. The IBEW strikes at City Light in the 70's were a defeat for the union, and the big police bribery scandal (also in the 70's) was not a good time for the SPOG.

What's interesting is that there is always a tendency to try to keep peace with the unions because of voters, but as others have pointed out, not that many SPOG members actually live in Seattle (not that many IBEW workers live here either, for that matter). In the 70's the number of city workers who lived in the city was much higher.

Finally, as a city employee myself, I have to come down on Dominic's side about the disclosure thing. I know that anything I say while on the clock is public record, and I should expect people to treat it as such. It can be tough, especially when you are delivering bad news, or dealing with someone irrational, but it comes with the paycheck.

For the record, I see and understand what Charlie Mas wrote at #51. Yet there's a good contrast there in what happened first between the County cop and Dom, then what happened between Dom and Ms. Blair.

Instead of behaving civilly the cop became confrontational. Had he been civil there would not have been an incident.

Then later Ms. Blair was very civil and polite but it was Dominic's turn to escalate the situation needlessly.

I am not exonerating the SPD or the County cop-- I hope they get every bit of official discipline they deserve. The point I am making is that when the PIO did behave professionally, it was Dominic who needlessly escalated it by going against her wishes. Sure, yes, she's a public employee, a PDR would reveal her name, but it seems like Dom could have at least extended the courtesy of not naming her right now, instead waiting for the results of the full investigation. You could have just noted her as 'the SPD Public Affairs Officer" or whatever her title is.

I am thinking of her, and how likely or not likely she may be in the future to be as helpful to you, Dominic, since you escalated that more than necessary at this time.

Anyway. Yes, wrong question, water under the bridge, and I truly hope this sparks some radical reforms within SPD and within the King County Sheriff's office.

Police officers make up the largest military entity in the world. I've often wondered, who is policing them? Thank you for this expose. I look forward to seeing how this journalistic endeavor plays out. The fact that it is in my own back yard makes it all the more interesting.

I too think that naming the Sgt. was an underhanded move. I'm sure she has a family and is just doing her job. No need to bring her into the public eye like that. Tsk tsk.

Amazing. Savage finds half the truth in one story and then Holden in another. All within a month! Keep at it Stranger, in a few centuries you might get all the facts accurately represented in 2 posts a day!

Yes, if the policemen behaved as Holden claims they did (and I grant that this 'if' is a big one) journalists should hold their feet to the fire. That's what we grant specific freedoms to the press for, to act as our eyes on government when we can't be.

Too bad The Stranger doesn't employ any journalists....

Oh and to those expressing your bigotry towards the police- grow up.

Yeah, I know you got a parking ticket or were told to stop sitting in the street and sober up. I know that in your half formed adolescent little minds this was horrible abuse. But that's for the benefit of us taxpayers who actually like safe streets free of criminals. That's for those of us footing the bill for the security police services provide even you whiny children.

How about this?

A couple of police officers get word that a person with possible psychotic violence has been reported to be harassing people at Westlake. They received over three calls. A couple of squad cars goes there, and the person isn't to be found, so the officers are on alert, trying to find the suspicious man.

He may be hiding, or have fled, but there are tourists with children in the park, and one of the calls said the man may have had a sharp object in his hand.

While this is going on, a SLOG Reporter on a bicycle (having no press credentials and dressed like a pauper) accosts the officer, wondering "hey, what's going on?"

The police, trying to trap the crazed guy, don't have time for niceties, and who knows, maybe the guy on the bike is the psycho!

As John Quiñones might say, "what would you do?"

@23 - I've thought that the "Con" needs to be replaced with "Ef"

There should be basic policies in all their handbooks where at a minimum he violated conduct unbecoming an officer and professionalism. That is why they have these broad categories for the situations that do not fit neatly in a box. He should receive a term of reckoning (probation), loss of pay and a letter of reprimand in his file at a minimum depending on the results of the investigation and his past history.

Why can't our cops be like this one in Sweden when filmed? People who know how to act like fucking human beings instead of junk yard dogs.
http://www.wimp.com/swedenpolice/

It is absolutely settled that the public has the right to observe and photograph anything, including police activity, when in a public place, if not interfering with the police. It is just unbelievable to me that Seattle and King County police don't know and respect this law. Are they untrained, or stupid, or just feel it's a right they don't like and won't recognize? Dominic, I hope you add that perspective to your stories - what do the police know about this basic civil right and why don't they respect it? I hope you pursue your complaints until you receive personal apologies and a promise of additional training for these guys, who are after all supposed to have some expertise in law and civil rights.

@60, 61:

The profanity ban has just made you more of a condescending dick, which is impressive. If The Stranger is so incompetently crafted, why do you read it at all?

"Yes, if the policemen behaved as Holden claims they did (and I grant that this 'if' is a big one) journalists should hold their feet to the fire. That's what we grant specific freedoms to the press for, to act as our eyes on government when we can't be."

Then what are you bitching about? That Holden doesn't share your repulsive politics? Or that these officers do share your bullying temperament?

"Yeah, I know you got a parking ticket or were told to stop sitting in the street and sober up. I know that in your half formed adolescent little minds this was horrible abuse. But that's for the benefit of us taxpayers who actually like safe streets free of criminals. That's for those of us footing the bill for the security police services provide even you whiny children."

I'm in the same income bracket as most of the commentators here and, I assure you, I'm quite the taxpayer. And if you want to keep the streets safe from criminals, I suggest you stay inside. The only reason you don't have a record is because the police don't know you're a fraudulent, bigoted landlord prone to political vendettas against your tenants.

Oh, and you have a tantrum and refuse to renew the lease for lesbians in one of your properties because marriage equality came to Washington State and WE'RE whiny children?

What lolorhone said.

Hey, Pridge!

@61

LOL @ "Bigotry towards police".

SPD officers are not an ethnic group or race, though the people they target, beat and harass seem to be based on race.

Dont want to be criticized, STOP BEING RACIST BULLIES. Its simple. So simple that 90% of employees outside of the SPD manage to do it on a daily basis. Yet asking this simple thing seems to be too much for the SPD.

@67

Refusing renewal of a lease is entirely my right. I own the property and who I allow to live there is my decision, not any solitary other individual and absolutely not that of any level of government.

And you do realize the difference between civil and criminal law? No? Boy, I'd do some research if I were you.

@70

I have no idea what the halfwit Holden looks like, though I picture a hipster Casper Milquetoast with that sort of weedy unwell look nearly all hipsters have. At any rate, it sounds like he's a white, I was going to say male and technically he probably is.

So yes, if you call an interaction between a white almost male and the police, told from the perspective of the hipster punk, racist you are indeed bigoted.

@67

Oh, and we had marriage equality. What we have now is an attack on families and marriage by deviants and perverts, and by their delusional apologists.

@71: And a restaurant can refuse service to anyone, but not for any reason. If there is bigotry evident in the selection process, the establishment is violating the law. If your ex-tenants got you in front of a judge with your posts about them in this forum, chances are you'd be in some deep shit. You would certainly deserve it in principle.
@72: That was the most garbled, illogical and just plain unreadable post you've managed in many a moon, and you still didn't manage to mask your prejudice.
@73: Otherwise known as progress for the better by decent people who are impatiently waiting for people like you to die out or defect to Russia. Seriously, think about it. You'd feel right at home.

Cheers @52

@72

The various species of pervert pushing the destruction of marriage 'decent people?'

I'd wondered, but now I know you're just kidding in your posts. I mean calling the likes of Daniel Savage decent couldn't come from anything but a rich vein of irony.

Thanks for the laugh, kiddo.

@76 Please explain in detail the "destruction of marriage" of which you speak. Marriage equality has been on the books for years in several jurisdictions so I expect you will have plenty of comcrete examples to support your claim.

@76:

I believe you meant @74. The rich vein of irony I've tapped here is somehow I've gotten the most unrepentant bigot on Slog to pretend to actually rep for decency. Decency requires more than refraining from using naughty words. And you just started doing that a month ago.

Thanks for the laugh, kiddo.

@77

I agree. Marriage equality has been around since anti miscegenation laws were barred.

I can call myself a hedgehog and demand legal recognition of my self described condition. I might even convince others to support my crusade and pass insane laws to grant recognition of hedgehog equality.

But at the end of the day, I'll still be a human being rather than a hedgehog whatever the law says. And at the end of the day 2 men or two women are no more married than my dog could be.

@79: Perhaps you are having difficulty with the question? Let me repeat it for you:

@76 Please explain in detail the "destruction of marriage" of which you speak. Marriage equality has been on the books for years in several jurisdictions so I expect you will have plenty of concrete examples to support your claim.

Hint: Merely reciting your contention that marriage between two men or two women cannot exist does not suffice as proof of the "destruction of marriage" resulting from the same.

@79:

At the end of YOUR day. You can pretend your bigotry is common sense if that comforts you, but no one else- including lawmakers- is obliged to play along. So call it hedgehog matrimony if you must; there are very few laugh lines on the wrong side of history.

Just gonna throw this out there, call me crazy - Hey Seattle Police, has it ever crossed your minds to NOT act like dicks to people?

@79: Bleat away my little lamb, but unless you plan on moving to Uganda or Russia at the end of the day you are going to find yourself one lonely little hedgehog, if you'll pardon my mixed zoological metaphor.
Oh, and I assume since this is the Lord's day you will be seeing your Pastor. Has he gotten back to you about your posts here? You do realize that despite suppressing your deep seated urge to slur, that you really aren't following the spirit of his admonition don't you?
Of course you do. Which is why you are afraid to show him this, your secret shame. You know that if he knew what you got up to here, he'd tell you to stop. That you are wasting your time feeding some very unchristian impulses with in yourself when you post on slog.
He'd take you to task for arrogance, anger, spite, selfishness, and lack of compassion.
Posting here feeds all the worst parts of your character and you know it, which is why you hide it from those you respect.
You Pastor, while wrongheadedly being in agreement with you on Teh Gayz in principle, would not approve of how you personally have been going about expressing that shared unfortunate position. Because while what you do here has no impact on us, it has a decidedly corrosive effect on you.
Go serve the poor, as Jesus specifically asked his followers to, and leave the gays alone, of whom he said not word one.

83, "He'd take you to task for arrogance, anger, spite, selfishness, and lack of compassion.", yep, he certainly would. Judge not lest ye be judged. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. The greatest of these is love. Without love, all the knowledge of religion is as dust. Who do you think the Lord hates more? Two silly boys getting off in bed? or the person who presumes to take up Christ's seat of Judgement on the right hand of God?

@71: You can refuse to renew a lease to whoever you want...UNLESS your refusal is motivated by animus against them under a variety of protected categories (e.g. gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation). These categories differ by locale, but I believe that in most of Washington state, sexual orientation is included.
So you can whine about how it's your right to do this and that, but the fact is that the law disagrees with you, and you could face some hefty fines. Care to share your real name with us so we can report you to the Cyber Police?

@71

Did you not read the story? The whole reason Holden stopped to see what was going on and the reason why the cops panicked when they saw a camera was because they were in the process of harassing and assaulting a young black male (one of the things the DOJ noted the SPD has a problem with...assaulting blacks, latinos and natives).

A few years ago I had a similar run-in with SPD - and I was intimidated enough to get an attorney friend to turn me onto an attorney (who shall remain nameless) who deals with SPD Police complaints on a regular basis for some enlightenemnt. He informed me plainly that SPD was a street gang -one of the most well funded and well armed street gangs, but a street gang nonetheless. In additon to the guns and thug tactics they have an entire massive legal structure of protections and organizations at their disposal - that you and I pay for. And they know it and act like it. This city has a very big problem on our hands. Thanks for pursuing this, Dominic.

Per Seattleblues...

"Police violence is caused by marriage equality."

Neat trick, dude.

@1 Official capacity bro.