Brame probe finds nothing criminal

TACOMA — A state-federal investigation into the case of Police Chief David Brame, who fatally shot his wife and himself in front of their children last spring, found no grounds for state criminal charges but "abundant evidence of troubling management practices" in the Police Department.

Investigators looked into events leading up to the murder-suicide to determine whether officials ignored or covered up warning signs.

The shootings shook city government to its foundations and resulted in the July firing of longtime City Manager Ray Corpuz Jr., who promoted Brame to chief in December 2001 and — one day before the shootings — said he considered the Brames’ troubled marriage a private matter.

Monday’s report focused on the police department culture in which Brame flourished.

"After nearly six months of scrutiny … the patrol found no evidence to indicate that the Tacoma Police Department is a criminally corrupt organization," the report said. "There are, however, indications the department is culturally deficient in some very important areas."

The investigation conducted by the State Patrol found poor judgment, troubling behavior by top officers and lax accountability, Attorney General Christine Gregoire said.

Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas will now oversee an administrative review of department policies, she said.

U.S. Attorney John McKay said the federal investigation is continuing. Its focus is public contracting but that could widen, he said.

The family of Brame’s slain wife, Crystal, has filed a $75 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city. Members attended Monday’s news conference but left without comment.

In a statement issued later, they wrote: "We feel that Attorney General Gregoire’s comments about rampant problems and corrupt culture within the police department are a ringing indictment of misconduct within the highest levels of Tacoma’s law enforcement and city government. The report in no way exonerates the city for its actions, which ultimately led to Crystal’s murder."

Investigators learned that in the weeks before the shooting, Brame was unkempt, missed meetings and was "obsessed with talking about his personal life," Gregoire said. Questions about whether official intervention was called for "need to be asked and answered in the (administrative) review," she said.

"There is no question that in the final weeks of his life, Chief Brame was emotionally despondent and deeply disturbed," the report said.

"We have found no evidence, however, that anyone in the Tacoma Police Department predicted or could anticipate the homicidal path he would take and failed to act, thereby giving rise to criminal liability."

State investigators focused on why Brame was hired in 1981 against the recommendations of two psychologists; why he was promoted despite a date-rape allegation in 1988; and whether Assistant Chief Catherine Woodard acted illegally when she accompanied Brame to his wife’s parents’ home in Gig Harbor two weeks before the shootings.

Woodard’s was the only case forwarded to Gregoire’s office, and it "did not rise to the level of criminal charges," she said. She called Woodard’s judgment "extraordinarily poor" and said there was enough evidence of misconduct to prompt an internal review.

One of the report’s handful of recommendations calls for "clear and consistent policies" for deciding when an internal complaint — the rape allegation, for example — should be considered as a criminal matter.

Police Chief Donald Ramsdell issued a statement Monday saying the department is "close to having" a strong policy on domestic violence and is reviewing its hiring practices.

The city also is working on a new domestic-violence program and assessment of its human resources policies, Mayor Bill Baarsma said.

Brame shot his wife and himself in a Gig Harbor parking lot April 26, after he picked up their children at a karate class. Crystal Brame was on her way home from a class titled "What Children of Divorce Really Need" when she pulled into the parking lot.

Brame died that afternoon. His wife, who had confided fears for her life, died a week later.

The deaths followed newspaper reports of their divorce filing. Both parties alleged physical abuse.

The investigation found Crystal Brame had filed just one domestic-violence complaint, in 1996. It noted, however, that most domestic violence goes unreported and that non-reporting is more frequent when one spouse is a police officer.

After the deaths, Corpuz appointed Woodard interim police chief. But he placed her on paid leave days later and asked the State Patrol to investigate her role in the April 11 visit to Brame’s in-laws. Crystal Brame had called 911 to report that she felt intimidated by Woodard’s presence.

The state Police Pension Disability Board earlier this month approved disability retirement for Woodard, 49. She will receive approximately $65,000 in annual tax-free benefits, about 50 percent of her annual salary.