Justice Department begins preliminary review of Seattle police

[uppityperson]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014026946_justice25m.html

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a preliminary review of the Seattle Police Department in response to a request by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and 34 other groups seeking an investigation of officers' use of force, particularly against minorities. In their request, the ACLU and other organizations in December asserted that some Seattle police officers appear to "inflict injury out of anger" at suspects rather than to protect public safety.
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The confrontations include an officer kicking and threatening to beat the "Mexican piss" out of a prone Latino man in April; the repeated kicking of an African-American teen during an arrest inside a convenience store in October; and the pummeling of an African-American man in a police lobby in June 2009 in which officers were cleared of wrongdoing.

Also cited is an officer's fatal shooting in August of First Nations woodcarver John T. Williams, which led to protests that the officer acted too hastily and, according to sources, a preliminary finding by the Police Department that the officer's actions were unjustified. The letter also pointed to jaywalking incidents that have led to physical clashes, including an officer's videotaped punching of an African-American teen in June. Four different Seattle police auditors have raised concerns about such stops, the letter notes.

Police Chief John Diaz has sought to quell outrage over some of the incidents by opening internal investigations, making changes to bolster training and reaching out to community groups....(more)

[annm4peace]

1. I hope it is a real investigation

not just for show

[uppityperson]

2. So do I. It looks like there is potential/

[LiberalFighter]

3. Internal investigations are more likely to be tainted. Unless they include

members of the community from different sectors. The mayor or city police could not just appoint someone from those sectors. They would have to appoint someone from those sectors from a list submitted by the sector. NCAAP submits a list of 3 and they pick 1. Latino group the same. etc

[uppityperson]

4. What Some Seattle Cops Think the Problem Is (incredible, look at the linked articles

The linked articles are to this: The Seattle Police Officers' Guild, the employees union representing approximately 1,350 sworn officers, publishes a newspaper each month called the Guardian.

Did you know Motherf*er is "Those who are in touch with reality know it today as a commonly used street term showing endearment toward someone or something." Perhaps among one particular group.

N*er is "Yourgsters of all races use it to show affection toward a friend or close acquaintance." Yeah, just try using it in all those inappropriate situations and see how affectionate it is received.

However, it is advised to trade the desk for hitting the streets and getting to know people and society.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/what-some-seattle-cops-think-the-problem-is/Content?oid=6266406

The Seattle Police Officers' Guild, the employees union representing approximately 1,350 sworn officers, publishes a newspaper each month called the Guardian. Written by and for cops, it's not online, not for sale, and not in newspaper boxes. Most Seattle residents have never seen a copy. But if they had been reading the Guardian over the past year, while the city grappled with several high-profile incidents involving officers using force against racial minorities, they would've gained insight into the views of some police officers.

Take, for instance, last month's issue featuring an editorial by Officer Steve Pomper, who's angry about the five-year-old program to train all city employees on racial disparities and profiling issues.

"The city, using its Race and Social Justice Initiative, continues its assault on traditional and constitutional American values such as self-reliance, equal justice, and individual liberty," Pomper begins. "But more to our concern, the city is inflicting its socialist policies directly on the Seattle Police Department."

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Then there's a November article by Officer Clayton Powell, who works in the South Precinct, discussing the phrase "mother f**ker," which, he argues, is a "commonly used street term showing endearment to something or someone." He names a couple more endearing terms: "bitch" and "n***a." (Asterisks are his.) "If I can communicate with someone in their primary language... it makes me a more effective officer," writes Powell. "Learn to accept and appreciate the direct method of in-­your-­face communication."...(more)

[freeplessinseattle]

5. Then there's the man they gave a brain injury to in 2009

Harris, now 31, suffered a catastrophic brain injury early on May 10, 2009, after his head hit the wall outside the Cinerama Theater in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. Since then, he's been confined to bed, unable to walk, talk or do anything for himself, his wife told The Seattle Times in May.

A surveillance camera outside the movie theater captured footage of the incident.

It was later determined that Harris was wrongly identified as a suspect in an assault outside a Belltown convenience store.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013992310_harris21m.html