Mayor to SPD: Follow Federal Orders

Responding to a stern letter from the ACLU, Mayor Mike McGinn bent over backwards this afternoon to unequivocally announce that he will comply with the federal government's decree to clean up problems with excessive force at the Seattle Police Department.

"This morning I ordered Chief John Diaz to begin implementation of reforms outlined in the Department of Justice's report," McGinn said in a letter (.pdf). The mayor says he will impanel a public oversight board to oversee changes to the department, adding, "Let us be clear: we are committed to reform."

Facing the threat of a federal civil rights lawsuit if the city fails to comply "swiftly," McGinn says the city is already adopting several reforms:

1. Begin a "system of consistent supervision of patrol officers" on January 4.

2. Create a new "Force Review Board" and "Force Investigation" team to review use of force by Seattle police (the DOJ found that Seattle police used excessive force in 20 percent of all use-of-force incidents).

3. The Office of Professional Accountability, which administers internal discipline for misconduct, will simplify classifications for the outcome of its investigations to clearly identify which cases where they found evidence of wrongdoing.

4. Review all of the department's procedures "top to bottom."

5. Establish a new "Professional Standards" section.

"The Mayor's statement embracing the DOJ's recommendations for reform is a welcome and positive development," ACLU of Washington spokesman Doug Honig said in a statement late this afternoon. "The ACLU and other groups who wrote to the Mayor today look forward to working with City officials and the DOJ to bring about much-needed changes."

Source: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/12/21/mayor-orders-the-chief-to-follow-dojs-orders

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