SPD Departmental Reforms: The Tip of the Iceberg

According to a Washington Post study detailing frequency of shooting deaths at the hands of police for the year of 2017, Washington State bears the disturbing statistic of 5.38 shootings per one million people, or thirty-eight deadly shootings for the calendar year of 2017. This figure is astonishingly high, compared to other states with large metropolitan cities such as New York and Illinois, which have 0.81 deadly shootings per one million/sixteen deadly shootings in 2017, and 1.55 deadly shootings per one million/twenty deadly shootings in 2017 respectively.[1]

In 2010, as a result of a letter sent to the Justice Department from the ALCU of Washington together with dozens of Seattle community groups, the City of Seattle was mandated to comply with a series of court-ordered reforms regarding the Seattle Police Department’s use of excessive force.[2] Among these reforms, were mandates that Officers file a use-of-force report when a gun is pointed at a civilian, as well as the establishment of a Crisis Intervention Committee centered upon providing training for officers in their interactions with the mentally ill.[3] In a watershed ruling delivered by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart on Wednesday, January 10th, the Seattle Police Department was declared to be in “full and effective compliance” with all court ordered reforms. Following this ruling, the City of Seattle will be subjected to a two-year audit, in which the city must demonstrate they are implementing required departmental reforms successfully.[4] To name a few, these advancements include improving SPD’s relationship with “isolated communities”, as well as addressing concerns regarding the “disproportionate number of Blacks and Latinos that are stopped and frisked.”[5]

In addition to the goal of improving the relationship between the Seattle Police Department and communities of color, it is apparent that the Department still has a long way to go since implementation of the Crisis Intervention Committee. This reality is epitomized in the shooting death of Charleena Lyles, a pregnant mother of three who was killed by Seattle Police Officers in early June of 2017. Lyles, who had a history of mental illness, reportedly threatened officers with knives when the officers responded to a domestic violence call at her home.[6] Although both officers had completed Crisis Intervention Training in defusing dangerous situations with armed subjects, they failed to use less that lethal options such as a taser.[7] According to Mitch Barker, former Executive Director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, communication with individuals with mental illness or in suffering from a mental health breakdown represents the greatest ongoing challenge for police.[8]

​Compliance and implementation of the initial period of court ordered reforms represents a progressive and commendable step in the right direction for the Seattle Police Department. However, the true test of the success of these reforms will be measured in the effectiveness of the department’s policy and training changes within the next several years. If the Seattle Police are going to begin to mend their relationship with communities most detrimentally affected by the Department’s actions, then deadly use of force must habitually become a last resort, rather than an autogenic reaction.


[1] “Police Shootings 2017 Database.” The Washington Post, WP Company, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings-2017/.
 

[2] Miletich, Steve, and Mike Carter. “Seattle Police Found in 'Full and Effective Compliance' with Court-Ordered Reforms.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 10 Jan. 2018, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/seattle-police-found-in-full-and-effective-compliance-with-court-ordered-reforms/.
 

[3] Miletich, Steve, and Mike Carter. “SPD Faces New Oversight, Scrutiny of Use of Force.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 28 July 2012, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/spd-faces-new-oversight-scrutiny-of-use-of-force/.
 
 

[4] Miletich, Steve, and Mike Carter. “Seattle Police Found in 'Full and Effective Compliance' with Court-Ordered Reforms.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 10 Jan. 2018, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/seattle-police-found-in-full-and-effective-compliance-with-court-ordered-reforms/.
 
 

[5] Steve Miletich. “SPD Ruling.” Document Cloud, The Seattle Times Company, www.documentcloud.org/documents/4346560-SPD-Ruling.html.
 

[6] Green, Sara Jean. “Number of Deadly Police Shootings in King County Is Little Changed over Past 12 Years.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 23 Aug. 2017, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/number-of-deadly-police-shootings-in-king-county-is-little-changed-over-past-12-years/.

[7] Ibid.
 

[8] Ibid.
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