News OPARB Releases Final Report on Police Misconduct
posted by on July 2 at 12:22 PM
This morning, the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board (OPARB) presented the City Council with their final report on SPD Chief Kerlikowske’s role in an Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) investigation into allegations of officer misconduct during a downtown drug arrest last January. A draft of OPARB’s report leaked three weeks ago, leading the Seattle chapter of the NAACP to call for the Chief’s resignation.
OPARB’s “new” report makes a much stronger argument that the Chief is improperly altering the outcomes of OPA investigations, by running out the clock on the 180 time limit for disciplining officers named in OPA complaints or intervening to effect the outcome of an OPA investigation.
OPARB’s report referred to 7 other cases where Kerlikowske exonerated officers, despite the OPA’s recommendation for officer discipline. OPA investigates allegations of Police misconduct but final discipline decisions are made by the Chief.
Among the cases listed in OPARB’s report:
A female officer filed a sexual harassment complaint with OPA against a male officer, who “proceeded to request the [woman’s] personnel and training filed [and] published an article in the police union newspaper,” ridiculing her for filing her complaint. The Chief only sanctioned the man for requesting the woman’s personnel files.
A Field Training Officer, student officer in tow, punched and hit a suspect with his baton while he was handcuffed at Harborview hospital, waiting to be transported to King County jail. The incident was caught by a surveillance camera and witnessed by Harborview security and two other SPD officers. Again, the Chief ignored OPA’s recommendations.
An OPA complaint was filed after a suspect, who had fled from police, surrendered and lay on their stomach. An officer jumped on the complainant “with all his weight, popping the complainant’s lungs and breaking several ribs. Medical attention was not sought for the complainant.” The 180-day period for the Chief to impose discipline on the officer passed but again, but he refused to even acknowledge the officer acted improperly.
In all of these cases, as well as 4 others presented in OPARB’s report, the Chief did not provide any written explanation for his decision to overturn the OPA’s findings.
OPARB’s final report has provided even more evidence that the Chief is standing in the way of effective police oversight in Seattle and City Council finally seemed convinced by OPARB’s report. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next but I’d bet things are about to get even uglier for Chief Kerlikowske.
FTMFA
Wow, I guess the Chief was thinking... 1)that female officer must have been a dyke, so its silly for the dude to have asked anyways, not like she was going to say yes... 2)that suspect threw himself onto that baton, as suspects are always trying to find a police brutality angle and also the video was just all angled wrong anyways... 3) some folks drive at 120mph to escape the cops, some crawl on their belly down the street to escape. No Chief, you better clean yourself up before you find yourself behind bars.
I still don't know why we fired Norm Stamper. He was the most progressive chief in the country. There wouldn't even be an OPA without him.
Yes, he messed up the WTO, but's that's kind of understandable given the exceptional nature of that event.
norm was fired to help schell keep his job. it didn't work. it's ok though. nickels would have fired him anyway, just to be an asshole.
Kerlikowske should not just be fired, he should be punished. If Nickels doesn't do something about this immediately, he should be impeached.
according to the Weekly "Seattle City Charter that allows the council to remove the mayor after an impeachment trial for "any willful violation of duty." What's more, impeachment can be accomplished by a two-thirds vote of council (six of the nine total members). Just call this a reminder to the mayor that he needs at least four friends on council."
Fire the Chief, impeach the Mayor. These SPD cases are major violations of individual civil rights. Any public official covering them up is complicit in them.
Dallas police and jailers committing first amendment retaliation, excessive force, conspiracy, denial of medical care, etc., now before the US Supreme Court as case #07-10, styled Daniel Montes, Jr. v. Jeffrey P. Ransom, et al. If you have any questions to call or email me the plaintiff, Daniel Montes, Jr. at danielmontesjr@hotmail.com, 817-739-6790.
Dallas police and jailers committing first amendment retaliation, excessive force, conspiracy, denial of medical care, etc., now before the US Supreme Court as case #07-10, styled Daniel Montes, Jr. v. Jeffrey P. Ransom, et al. If you have any questions to call or email me the plaintiff, Daniel Montes, Jr. at danielmontesjr@hotmail.com, 817-739-6790.
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