Excellent!

Good news for Metro riders that he's off bus tunnel duty; bad news for anyone who needs 911 in his patrol area, since he'll be coming in angry to life and death situations.

I wonder how many actual CRIMINALS have managed to accumulate 120 "allegations" over the same time period.

Wow. What does it take to actually get fired? Shoot someone? Nope...the cop who shot John Williams quit.

A couple questions come immediately to mind:

1. Will Saulet's work be subject to extra scrutiny by KCSO management, or will they simply carry on as if he's no particular risk to the public, relying on public complaints in order to guage the quality of his future work?

2. Now that public enemy #1 is nominally under control, what, if anything, is Urquhart's plan for dealing with the #2 most-complained-about deputee on staff at KCSO?

"This is the first time I have taken away someone's stripes," King County Sheriff John Urquhart, who was elected last November, said when reached by phone. The move is "very, very uncommon."

AND THAT IS THE WHOLE FUCKING PROBLEM! If were to become common to discipline bad cops, there would be fewer bad cops.

How many complaints did he have when he received the stripes ?

As bad an apple as Saulet appears to be, I only hope I never have occasion to experience an encounter with either of the deputies identified as "D5" and "D6" in that chart; that any LEO can have a 50+% sustained complaint rating (not to mention a higher total number than what Saulet has racked up to-date) and still be wearing a badge is just plain scary!

D5 seems like kind of a dick too.

I get that it costs a lot more time and money to train a LEO than a minimum-wage worker, but considering how easy it is to accumulate demerits and get fired in the Wal-Mart and fast-food world for petty shit, it's crazy that escalating discipline is so seldom deployed in law enforcement, where the consequences of misbehavior are so much greater.

The necessary investment in training should be safeguarded by a whole lot more psychological testing on intake, both before acceptance to an academy and before hiring from another municipality.

The only police officers that SPD (and now KC Sheriff) discipline are black cops who harass or assault white people. Again, when white cops start to get disciplined for harassing or assaulting people of minority races, then we'll know something has changed. It hasn't started yet.

3, non-sequitor, an attempt to change the subject to defray criticism.

11, there is no evidence for your conclusions, and your thesis remains sketchy at best.

And this is why, sometimes, unions need to go. Because they love love love love to protect the bad guy.

@ 6 Shows while unions are generally good have some problem areas.

I'm a big union supporter, but I have to say that the police unions have too much power if they're able to consistently get guys like this out of discipline. Hell, guys like this should be fire, pure and simple.

You know I feel bad for the guy? Call me crazy. In this particular incident, he was overly direct and threatening, perhaps. "I could arrest you for this!" But you know what? It gets the point accross. I guarantee you that the guy who wandered into the restricted Metro zone will not do so again. And isn't this what you want, particularly in this age of terrorist threats and general shutdowns? Can you imagine the mess if a car were to get in the tunnel? It's not like Saulet assaulted anybody (remember the Mexican-piss guy?) or violated anybody's civil liberties. It's not like he tried to block somebody from taking perfectly legal pictures.

Which brings me to my other point: Let's be honest. The real reason he got demoted and spanked like this was because he very truly became the Stranger poster child of police abuse. He messed with the wrong guy in spades and precipitated a political mess. This is all political, let's be honest. I'm not discounting his rather memorable disciplinary record and I know that he's had plenty of chances to make it right, but I can't help feeling that this is a crappy excuse to take off the stripes. They were just waiting for any half-decent reason. Also the fact that he's had so many complaints and little has happened suggests to me that this mode of aggressive escalation is institutionally encouraged. But it's easier to make an example out of one cop than to face up to a larger, more systemic problem.

Also I find it odd that his listed number of complaints is so off the charts and, in addition, that his number of sustained accusation is more in line with the other cops. Why is his alleged/sustained rate so low? It just smells weird.

Anyway, I know our cops (at least certain ones, or the ones who've been caught) have developed quite the record of infamy, so maybe this is the way of the institution to make amends and take some of the heat off.

Incredible. I'm glad this guy is a known bad apple and not representative of KCSO in general. But why does it take HUNDREDS of complaints to get demoted? He needs to go, a long time ago, and so does any policy that let him stick around.

@16: re his sustained complaint rate. Do you know what it takes for a complaint to be sustained? In summary: a shit ton of corroboration. Like uncontestable/full context audio/video. Credible/unimpeachable witnesses. Another officer willing to go against you (yeah right...like that happens). Maybe Saulet is just incredibly lucky about when he's an asshole. Or maybe he's just more of an asshole when no one's looking.

This, of course, is part of the problem. But that huge complaint rate is a damn good indicator that he's pretty much an asshole in a league by himself.

@ 12, I read @3 as a criticism of how imbalanced the scales of justice are. Given the stories of petty shoplifters facing decades in prison because of a few other petty prior convictions, it's an astute complaint.

I agree with you on @ 11, but I'll add that she's jumped the gun - I'll believe that this "black cop who harassed white people" is disciplined when he remains a deputy after the appeal. Until then, there's a good chance he'll get his stripes back.

12/19: Here are two examples of black SPD officers getting in trouble (fired and prosecuted). There are mountains and mountains of examples on Youtube and elsewhere of white SPD officers assaulting people of color. I've never heard of any consequences for any white SPD officers for any of these cases. Including John T. Williams' murderer, of course. And the two KC sheriff officers listed in the chart with more sustained complaints than the fired Saulet, who I'm sure are either white OR about to get disciplined also.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…
http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle…

It's like those studies of air pollution where one old pick up truck makes 1000x the average emissions.

The police officer who accidentally killed John T Williams was fired from his job and will never work as a sworn law enforcement officer in this State again. His career is over.

The union isn't going to get anyone off. The union will make sure the sheriff follows a fair procedure that follows the agreements in the relevant contract. This is how organized labor of all stripes behaves during discipline hearings. If this officer isn't punished as described, don't blame the union unless you're willing to blame all advocates for playing their role in a system built to protect the accused.

Don't let Urquhart or Holden blame "the union" because they didn't get their way with this officer. Blame them for doing absolutely nothing on this issue until it directly affected them. Like most Republicans, the sheriff and the reporter don't care quite as much about an issue until it affects them.

I've never heard of any consequences for any white SPD officers for any of these cases.

Well hell... some casual internet reader isn't informed of every disciplinary action filed against every white Seattle police officer? We must come to the only possible explanation: unchecked racism.

I think we should open the jackets of every white officer just to make sure the departments don't look racist.

@22

Your outrage is misplaced. Saulet's conduct has been written about extensively by other reporters in the past. Holden is simply reporting his own personal experience with Saulet.

Urquhart was sworn in as Sheriff last November. The Sheriff cannot take action against someone until after an internal investigation and a Laudermill hearing is held. The very first time Saulet ever appeared in front of Urquhart for a Laudermill hearing, he was demoted. I'd call this progress, and a signal that Urquhart takes Saulet a hell of a lot more seriously than previous Sheriffs have.

Dom where is your copy editor?

@ 20, you have a point about whom the SPD and KCSD decide to punish, but my question remains - did these officers and deputies actually remain demoted and dismissed? If not, the fact that African American police are more likely to receive stern discipline doesn't mean much if that discipline is not overturned.

Also, you're supposing that officers and deputies of color never assault or harrass poor and/or minority citizens. The class of victims matters, as they can never fight back. Heck, even the high profile victims in recent years didn't fight back on their own. Those incidents were caught on tape or witnessed by many people.

This doesn't negate your point, but it's more complex than race.

@22 SeattleWeedTours wrote, "The police officer who accidentally killed John T Williams was fired from his job and will never work as a sworn law enforcement officer in this State again. His career is over."

No, Ian Birk was not fired; he resigned from Seattle Police Department. And if then-chief John Diaz did not request Birk's certification revoked by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, Birk is free to go take another job carrying a gun on the public dime. I tried to find out if such a request was placed, but my request for relevant public records was denied by WSCJTC.

@ 22 The sheriff is more of a Democrat that a Republican, he basically said so while campaigning and had the endorsements as well.

@ 28 If he didn't resign he was likely to get fired.

Saulet is a an out-of-control, rogue cop, always an accident waiting to happen. He should not be on a police force with his record, which is contemptible.

Dominic Holden has done some great reporting on this issue, beginning with his perseverance in the case of his incident on Capital Hill. I can't imagine a Seattle Times reporter doing this.

@10: Well, the Police have a union and WalMart workers don't.

The graph says it all. Amazing

Reading how this officer abused his authority makes my blood boil. What does it take to get a cop fired? In the private sector, he would have been gone after the second offense. This is why people get so upset with public employees and their unions (and I'm a union supporter). Even worse than this officer's conduct is the police guild. They would argue in his defense even if he wiped out an entire kindergarten in a blind rage. He's going to end up harming someone and the sad thing about it is that it is preventable.

It is only a matter of time before this professional bully shoots someone or beats them half to death. It should not surprise anyone that some people simply hate all cops when certain officers take a man who made a wrong turn, and threaten to arrest his family and take his child because of such a heinous crime.

This guy should be fired and not allowed to wear a badge anymore. He clearly can not handle the awesome responsibility it confers.

@20: You need much more than two examples and Youtube videos to prove the point you are trying to make. You are glossing over the myriad of factors that contribute to such confrontations that are way apart from race

How was having something like 100 more complaints than the next guy not enough to bag him on the spot?

@37 Because of unions.

36: There is no variety of factors that can explain why white cops never get disciplined for abusing people of color, while black cops get disciplined for abusing white people. Could there be secret non-racist reasons why these particular black cops are getting disciplined? Maybe, I guess. But there are no hidden factors why KCS/SPD isn't even starting to discipline racist abusive white cops - it just hasn't happened.

@39: Perhaps you are right, my point is that you actually need something to prove it, not just stating it is true and mentioning Youtube videos.

If I wanted to, I could easily find two instances of minority cops not being disciplined, and a handful of Youtube videos with minority cops harassing both whites and nonwhites. But that proves nothing, and quite frankly, you don't rate that kind of time from me.

Let's see, a police officer make a traffic stop for an infraction that has already occurred, and instead of writing a ticket and sending the family on its way, forcing some sort of "compliance" is warranted. According to the King County Police Officers' Guild.

Yeah, that'll get us all to show more respect the police in future ... ...

Im glad something was done. But now we have a dangerous and abusive cop back on the streets, probably more pissed off than ever because of his demotion. This guy is volatile and if he isn't going to be fired he needs to at least be stuck behind a desk somewhere so he doesn't snap and hurt any one.

@22 Man, you should read a police guild newsletter once in a while. You want to know why we have bad cops, start looking at the guilds. They don't have the public's interest at heart. It's one thing to push for fair practices, fair wages, etc., but it's completely another thing to defend and even advocate for patently indefensible actions of police behind the shield of union brotherhood. The guild pushes for police protection laws, special indulgences, enhanced and increasingly more militaristic equipment, kids' gloves, and privacy-invading laws, all in the name of "letting our brethren officers do their jobs (easier)".

@43 Are you talking about the misguided SPOG newsletter? It is a disgrace to their profession and whomever edits the thing should seriously reconsider.

You understand we're talking about a completely different organization, correct?

(btw: the guild is not in place to protect the public's interest. The guild is in place to advocate against the city -- the public -- on behalf of the police.)

@39 -- Statements of fact without evidence are rumors. Malicious rumors despite facts are Propaganda.

If you are repeating your bad propaganda, you are hurting your own cause.

I like your avatar and your wacky sense of injustice, so I will offer some information and some advice: 1. disciplinary actions are public record. Your statements on racial disparity in police oversight are provably wrong. 2. pay attention to people with whom you disagree. You most likely have more in common with them than with the people you think you're defending.

@31 -- bad cops suck and Saulet is very likely a very bad cop. KCSO officers don't end up transit cops accidentally.

I think the graph says a lot about the KCSO discipline procedure and I image it has more to do with bad management than racism or acceptance of violence or whatever cause suits your political goal.

Why so much animosity against a union for management's inability to manage? I'm pretty sure most officers would laugh if you asked to see their "we're so powerful management can't do anything" clause in their contract.

If you can't see poor managers hiding behind the union boogeyman in this situation, you can't in good faith call yourself "pro union."

Thanks for the update. Please keep reporting on this ongoing story.

@44: We, the people, pay Richard F. "Rich" O'Neill #4451 of Seattle Police Department to edit The Guardian. I believe that his status as public employee means that documents he produces on the job that are not specifically exempted from the WA Public Records Act are public record and thus enter the public domain upon creation.

However, after I downloaded copies of the aforementioned newsletter from SPOG's website a couple years ago and republished them for easy public access, SPOG sent their lawyers after me. Scribd took down the documents without consulting me (I recommend using Internet Archive instead). I filed a records request with SPD. They said they didn't have the records and directed me to SPOG. I filed a request with SPOG, and they ignored it.

A few months ago, I requested:

1. Drafts and published versions of writings by Richard F. "Rich" O'Neill #4451, Guild President, Seattle Police Department, for the monthly publication _The Guardian_, since the Department of Justice Investigation of the department was opened in March, 2011. This should include but not be limited to those articles referenced by Steve Miletich and Lynn Thompson of _Seattle Times_ in their April 23, 2013 article, "City of Seattle wants to stop paying police union head's salary," wherein they wrote, "O'Neill and union Vice President Sgt. Ty Elster have sharply criticized the Justice Department's finding in the union's newspaper, The Guardian, even as O'Neill has maintained the guild is not opposed to reform."


2. All written correspondence (e.g., memos, e-mails, etc.) from Rich O'Neill since March, 2011, that includes any of the following phrases: Department of Justice, DOJ, Thomas Perez, pattern and practice, excessive force, biased policing, Pete Holmes, consent decree, Merrick Bobb, reform, 20/20


3. All e-mail to and from Rich O'Neill between April 18, 2013 and the date of processing of this request


4. All metadata from the above

My request was denied in part, and I am awaiting outcome of my appeal.

1 find it disturbing that the Union leader representing Saulet defend his attitude toward a driver who made the wrong turn , do remember Saulet said you need to man up "the guy is a fighting vet" I can take you kid away and beat you wife .
When Police unions support such conduct we no longer have a Law enforcement agency , incidentally Mr Police Union rep it is not illegal to tell as police officer to shut up as the Supreme court has ruled , nor illegal to take photo of officers in the line of duty .
If you do not like your job walmart is hiring , only problem no fat benefit there minimum wages