Lack of respect and arrogance is evident in this early Mayor administration. And not so much a lack of respect for people, but indirectly it is, I mean the lack of respect for decision-making and getting the information to make good decisions. You cant always have all the info you need to make a decision but you should try and get at least something.
I find this article quite troubling upon reading about Mayor Ed Murray's flip-flopped handling of SPD issues, mayoral talk behind closed doors, and business-as-usual politics regarding police reform.
You're right, Dominic. This is not what police reform looks like.
It looks more like the City of Seattle has become a police-state.
My condolences---especially to morally decent, hardworking,
law abiding police officers everywhere.
We have lost 3 mayors as they've stumbled into interwoven thickets of arrogance, antagonism, and retribution and become unintelligible deer in the headlights, unable to criticize random and brutal cops. Accosted by offers of Federal assistance from US Department of Justice to help us figure out and fix whatever we've got so wrong in the way we administer justice around here, they stood like pillars of salt while the cops militated against offers of real reform.
The Justice Department is engaged here, though, and the day is at hand for us to give the whole system a thorough going-over, so let's do it. All y'all salted mayors got to think big - we need the help, we have the talent and we can be a model for justice.
This is just business as usual for SPD and the Mayor's office....do what you want till you get caught, then throw a bone to the public to distract them, then go back to the same ole same ole. Problem is, the public is TIRED of this and is not letting themselves be distracted from the real issues anymore. We are watching...
An article on how far the justice department and the courts could go in disciplining or even taking over the SPD, invalidating contracts, etc would be a useful story.
If I follow correctly, too, the substituted "punishment" of training occurred at a time prior to the findings. It makes me wonder, then, if this training was a normal procedure that was simply later called a "punishment?"
Seems there's more reporting to do around that element.
What ever happened to responsibility and accountability? Police officers are public officials. If police officers are not to be held responsible and accountable for their misconduct what hope is there that any other public officials will be held responsible and accountable for their misconduct? The police chief has now, in my opinion, been shown to be deceitful, to be a liar, and to have betrayed the public trust. We all know that there is no chance that he will be held accountable or be made to accept responsibility for that behavior.
You're right, Dominic. This is not what police reform looks like.
It looks more like the City of Seattle has become a police-state.
My condolences---especially to morally decent, hardworking,
law abiding police officers everywhere.
Or are the Seattle PD like J Edgar Hoover. Do they have a "stink file" on every politician?
The Justice Department is engaged here, though, and the day is at hand for us to give the whole system a thorough going-over, so let's do it. All y'all salted mayors got to think big - we need the help, we have the talent and we can be a model for justice.
Seems there's more reporting to do around that element.