Rich O'Neill, president of Seattle's police labor union, is really upset at the Seattle City Council, okay? O'Neill issued a press release today blasting certain city officials for daring to mention Seattle police officers without his permission in a press release they sent out yesterday, in which they criticized the mayor (who himself dared to criticize a frontrunner for the job of independent police monitor, a position tasked with overseeing the SPD reforms mandated by the Department of Justice). Whew!

Anyway, O'Neill is super-duper upset. More upset than when City Hall staffers threw the mayor a surprise birthday party and "forgot" to invite him. More upset than the time the U.S. District Attorney's office "mistakenly" introduced him as Dickie at a press conference. More upset than the time his mustache got caught in a car door. See for yourself:

FM: Sergeant Rich O’Neill
Seattle Police Officers’ Guild President

RE: SPOG REACTION TO THE JOINT STATEMENT OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SALLY CLARK, BRUCE HARRELL, TIM BURGESS, NICK LICATA AND CITY ATTORNEY PETE HOLMES ON THE SELECTION PROCESS OF THE SPD MONITOR.

The Seattle Police Officer’s Guild is extremely appalled that four Seattle City Council Members would issue a joint statement with City Attorney Peter Holmes in which they dare to speak for the rank and file police officers in Seattle.

In the statement released on October 17th it reads: ”The Mayor’s statements today contribute confusion, doubt mistrust, especially among our rank and file police officers who are fully ready to embrace high quality and professional improvements of the police department.”

Mr. Burgess, Mr. Harrell, Ms. Clark, Mr. Licata and especially Mr. Holmes do not speak for the rank and file police officers! If they had actually spoken with rank and file officers they would have discovered that the officers do not agree with the Department of Justice Investigation, which has been flawed from the start. Further discussion with the rank and file police officers would reveal that although they had hoped the Mayor would have forced the DOJ to prove their unsubstantiated allegations in court, they appreciated that the Mayor engaged in spirited negotiations that resulted in an agreement that will not harm the city or the police department in the long run. Had these elected officials bothered to ask the rank and file officers, they would have also found that the officers do have some mistrust and it is of a City Attorney and elected officials who have politicized this entire DOJ process for political gain!

The Seattle Police Officer’s Guild speaks for the rank and file officers and sergeants! No one else is authorized to do so!

>:(