This is pretty big news—on Friday, Seattle Police Department Interim Chief Jim Pugel fired Lieutenant Donnie Lowe, an officer who was accused (and acquitted) of domestic violence and violating a court no-contact order, and was arrested several years ago under suspicion of DUI. As the Seattle Time's Mike Carter reported late Saturday, Lt. Lowe was fired "following an internal investigation into allegations of domestic violence and dishonesty."
Lowe, 46, was one of the highest-ranking African Americans in the Seattle Police Department, and he won praise and promotion during his 21 years with the department. Just before his domestic-violence arrest, he had been named an acting captain and placed in charge of a key element of the SPD’s “20/20” plan to overhaul the department in response to a Department of Justice investigation, which concluded SPD officers routinely use excessive force. The DOJ report also noted what it considered evidence of biased policing.... The command-staff source said Lowe’s dismissal followed an extensive investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Accountability begun after Lowe’s [dv] acquittal.
As anyone who glancingly follows police politics knows, this is a pretty significant move for the department. Cops are fired rarely, and not without much deliberation and intervention from union representatives. This move not only makes SPD look like its (finally) making a concerted effort to reform its public image by shedding problem cops, it also makes the OPA resemble something other than a toothless puppet of the department—it makes the OPA look useful, influential, even. For once.
