SEATTLE — King County prosecutors said today they won’t file criminal charges against a Seattle assistant police chief who was under investigation for allegations of official misconduct.
At the request of the U.S. attorney’s office, prosecutors had asked the Washington State Patrol last month to look into possible wrongdoing by Mike Sanford, who oversees uniformed patrol officers.
Patrol detectives investigated whether Sanford exerted undue influence at the scene of a traffic accident involving a family member, in selecting materials for a promotional exam, and in soliciting charitable donations from police department employees.
The patrol “uncovered no evidence to support a conclusion that there was a criminal law violation,” Mark Larson, the county’s chief criminal deputy prosecutor, concluded in a letter today to Patrol Chief John Batiste.
Larson added that his office’s review is limited to the question of criminal liability on the three issues. Official misconduct is a gross misdemeanor.
The investigation into Sanford came out of specific allegations that the Department of Justice provided, Larson noted in his letter. The U.S attorney’s office and the Justice Department recently told the Seattle city attorney’s office that they had uncovered allegations of possible misconduct.
The Seattle attorney’s office couldn’t handle the investigation because of a possible conflict of interest. The patrol began investigating about a month ago and forwarded its completed report to prosecutors with no recommendation on whether charges should be filed, said patrol spokesman Bob Calkins.
Police spokesman Mark Jamieson declined to comment.
Sanford, 51, is a key figure in overseeing the creation and implementation of broad reforms sought by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a civil-rights investigation, the newspaper reported.
In December, Justice officials found that Seattle police routinely used unconstitutional excessive force. The probe was prompted by a series of high-profile clashes between minorities and police, including the fatal shooting of a Native American woodcarver.
The Justice Department and the city are negotia
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