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Watchdog group seeks tighter standards for cops
Mothers for Police Accountability wants the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to revamp its community oversight board, require officers cooperate with misconduct investigations as a condition of their employment and enhance its early intervention system to pick out problem officers.
The watchdog group released the recommendations following a Dec. 16 report from the Department of Justice that showed that Seattle police have a pattern and practice of using excessive force. The report showed that 20 percent of all uses of force by Seattle Police officers violate the U.S. Constitution.
The watchdog group wants an advisory committee to replace the existing citizen review board, known as Office of Professional Accountability, or OPA.
The new group should be larger and reflect a more diverse selection of the community. Currently, four of the seven citizen review board members are attorneys.
Police should be required to fully cooperate with misconduct investigations. They would be terminated if they fail to cooperate or if any dishonesty is uncovered during the investigation.
Some of these recommendations aren’t new. The Department of Justice already recommended that the SPD lower its threshold for investigating an officer. SPD’s early intervention system is triggered whenever an officer uses force seven times or receives three OPA complaints within six months.
But Mothers for Police Accountability said this allows officers to use force 12 times or receive four OPA complaints without drawing attention.
Group members want the threshold for investigation lowered, and for complaints about discrimination to automatically prompt an investigation.
Comments
Routine polygraphs as a condition of ongoing employment would prevent most misconduct and corruption. If officers knew that this investigative tool was in place, maybe they would think twice before breaking the very laws they are sworn to uphold.
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