Murray is full of shit and trying to cover his ass. It's pretty sad when Seattle's mayor has less credibility than SPOG.

Given the expense of arbitration, the first case seems like a wise reduction, but it is insane that we have a system where we can't call it misconduct if it was a mistake which was taken responsibility for. I got fired from a job in retail where I lost $100. I immediately took responsibility and spent time trying to find the money, but I got fired despite my boss going to bat for me. She lost several times that much money in cocaine, and doesn't even get a misconduct?

I mean.. What?

As I said yesterday, Murray is taking an Olympic-size dive into an Olympic-size hole on this one. How can a guy who campaigned as being the "adult" who would fix McGinn's "adolescent" leadership jump so fast and so publicly into the abyss?

Astonishing feat. Tryouts for 2018 begin now.

Yesterday, City Council announced that Bruce Harrell, chair of their Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology Committee, "has scheduled a Special Public Safety Cmte re: SPD Disciplinary Review & complaint processes for this Wed, 2pm."

I see the new chief has a degree from Thin Blue Line school

Bertha's 1000' long concrete tomb will be a perfect hole in the ground to hide SPD's current and future skeletons.

Don't ask too many questions or I'll frickin' drone your house, bro.

video of 13-minute discussion of police accountability at yesterday's City Council briefing

I vote for @8 as SLOG handle of the year, 2014.

Whatever happened to the DOJ Settlement Agreement, MOU, the stipulated Community Police Commission, etc., etc.?

Why the deafening silence from U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, overseer Merrick Bobb, the Seattle Human Rights Commission?

Are they all just biding their time and paying out rope for Murray and Bailey to hang themselves?

I'm not reading the same thing here. Isn't retraining potentially more productive than a suspension? Reeducation vs a professional time-out? What's the BFD?

@13, you don't seem to be reading much at all:

...In granting the training referrals, Bailey’s actions mean the officers’ names are no longer subject to public disclosure; their cases can’t be listed on a data-collection system to track officer behavior; their erased misconduct can’t be used in gauging punishment for any future misconduct; and their cases can’t be used for comparative purposes in deciding other disciplinary cases, according to a source familiar with the matter.

OK, but you're misconstruing consequences and intent. You can't fairly say that's his specific intent in doing this, you have no proof either way.

Cue rant from Upchuck kvetching that Dom isn't paying enough attention to his favorite pet police scandal in 3...2...1...

We really need to start putting these arbitrators under the spotlight. They apparently seem to be the thing officials are afraid of, or at least are providing them political cover. No sense in disciplining anyone because it *might* be overturned by an arbitrator? WTF? Not just the stranger, but the entire media needs to start giving arbitrators and the arbitration process a lot more scrutiny. Who are these arbitrators? How are they selected? Who holds them accountable? Apparently the arbitration system favors unions way too much, or at least gives officials the perception they will lose in arbitration against a union so they just truck their tails and run rather than pursue discipline. Another good example, the cop in Marysville who was fired because he leaves dangerous objects, like guns, within reach of children who then kill other children with them. If that isn't a blatant example of someone's total incompetence to be a cop I don't know what is. So they fired him. And guess what? An arbitrator gave him his job back. I want to know, who was this arbitrator? What's his or her name? What's his or her qualifications? Who hired this arbitrator? And what do we have to do to get incompetent arbitrators fired? It's fine and good to keep up the pressure on the administration Stranger, but it's time to bring some pressure on the arbitration system while we're at it.

@15, that was really a response to "What's the BFD?". I agree that it wasn't a necessary outcome, because the misconduct could have been sustained while also requiring remedial training, without having reversal of suspension overturn the misconduct as a matter of process. It's the autopilot thing that seems an infuriatingly sly dodge.

"That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport."

The only way Murray can save face at this point is the immediate dismissal of Bailey. If he is unwilling to do that Murray should be recalled.
How many weeks has this jack ass been on the job? 5? 6? Christ, what a colossal fuck up.

The video that Phil M. posts @9 is important to watch. A little dry, like most Council discussion but it is really thoughtful about the complications, accountability & SPOG's role in the negotiations. Good discussion.