Seattle, U.S. Department of Justice Agreement Will Address Biased Policing - BostonHerald.com
The city of Seattle and the U.S. Department of Justice entered into far-reaching agreement Friday that requires the Police Department to overhaul its policies to ensure that when officers use force, they do it with adequate training, clear rules and vigilant oversight.
The 76-page agreement, which is subject to approval by a federal judge, also requires the police department to take steps to deal with biased policing of minorities, even though the city at one point resisted incorporating that into a settlement.
As part of the reforms, a special commission appointed by Mayor Mike McGinn to evaluate the Seattle Police Department, including internal-investigation procedures, emerged as a centerpiece of the reform plan announced by McGinn and federal officials Friday afternoon. McGinn personally suggested creation of the commission, said a source familiar with the matter.
Called the Community Policing Commission, the panel will also address the issue of biased policing, one of the key concerns of community groups who pressed the Department of Justice to investigate the Police Department.
The Justice Department, in a December report, found that Seattle officers too often resorted to excessive force, and it cited troubling evidence of biased policing.