SEATTLE — The city of Seattle’s response to a U.S. Justice Department’s proposal to fix its police department focused on curtailing excessive force, but did not address federal concerns about biased policing.
The federal government launched a civil rights investigation early last year following the fatal shooting of a homeless, Native American woodcarver and other incidents of force used against minority suspects. In December, a Justice Department report found that one out of every five times an officer used force, it was used unconstitutionally.
The report said the department failed to adequately review the use of force and lacked policies and training related to the use of force.
Mayor Mike McGinn presented his response to the federal government this week. Citing sources familiar with the confidential document, The Seattle Times reported that because no pattern of biased policing was found, McGinn opted not to address the issue in the city’s response.
Federal attorneys had cited “troubling practices” affecting minority communities and had recommended that the city’s police take corrective measures in that area.
McGinn has said he expects “good-faith negotiations” between the city and Justice Department. If no agreement is reached by the end of the month, the city expects to face a federal lawsuit on June 1.
The Justice Department presented its settlement proposal to the city at the end of March, after finding that Seattle police regularly used illegal force, often for minor offenses. The Associated Press on Tuesday reviewed a copy of the federal proposal, which was not released to the public.
It showed the Justice Department wants the city to change policies, add training for officers and hire more sergeants to supervise patrol officers. Seattle must also agree to the appointment of an outside monitor, at city expense.
Among the changes sought by the federal government were new reporting requirements for investigative stops of civilians, including duration of stop and perceived race of person stopped, to collect data to ensure bias-free policing, according to the document reviewed by the AP.
A Seattle police analysis of the federal proposal, also reviewed by the AP, took issue with the cost of the reforms — $41 million, according to a preliminary estimate — as well as the four- to six-month timelines for many of them.
A statement released this week by Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Bates said the cost projections from the city were “simply wrong.”
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