Seattle Police, Garrity Warnings, Investigations, Accountability, Recomendations!

PALO said:

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SPD, btw, uses deadly force (and force in general) far less per capita than the national average. granted, they also work in a relatively low crime city

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While this might be true (and I have no reason to doubt it is) I must say that if true, why was the justice department investigating them and recommending changes?

See, there is the problem. If Seattle is one of the best in the nation and the Justice Department still has issues with the way it is being done, what does that say about the other places we have out there that aren't as "good" as Seattle?

Scary, ain't it?

Once again, it is an issue with "perception." If the people in Seattle "perceive" the cops as being abusive, unresponsive to the community, obstinate and obstructionist, all the good will in the world isn't going to change that much. Actions speak much louder than words....if Seattle PD and King County Sheriff's Dept started firing/terminating some of these bad apples instead of letting them cry and tell us how great a cop they really are, maybe people would have more faith that the system works.

Of course, the union can't let that happen. Cops being responsible? Heavens, what would we want next? Cops that know the law they are inforcing?

Originally Posted by PALO ....SPD, btw, uses deadly force (and force in general) far less per capita than the national average. granted, they also work in a relatively low crime city

oneeyeross said:

..if Seattle PD and King County Sheriff's Dept started firing/terminating some of these bad apples instead of letting them cry and tell us how great a cop they really are, maybe people would have more faith that the system works.

Of course, the union can't let that happen. Cops being responsible? Heavens, what would we want next? Cops that know the law they are inforcing?

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So the excuse of "We don't kill as many as those other guys. See how good you have it here?" holds true for you? Your bias is showing.

wrong thread opps

Ok, I have to weigh in on this one. I'm not a LEO nor have I ever been one. I have, however, put 10 years of military service in and that included some time as security with some LE training. No special rights are granted to service members on active duty except that concerned with the execution of their duties.

I don't believe in special police, military, or government powers. I firmly believe that the power is ultimately the peoples and is on loan to said entities. There should never be granted any special privileges, powers, or immunity to anyone that isn't common to all citizens in good standing.

Having read this article, based of the theory that the account was 100% as written, I believe that the officer should have been administratively dismissed immediately upon his failure to provide proper documentation of the incident. (Had something similar happened involving me in uniform, I would have been subject to a UCMJ article 13 action, separate from the fatality, for dereliction of duty for not filing proper paperwork.) It then should have rolled into a standard homicide investigation. Both parts treated as separate incidents.

Should police be stripped of their rights? No, but a huge amount of trust is placed on them. Failure to maintain the public trust should mean the immediate revocation of that trust and the loss of all that comes with it. Any actual criminal conduct should be a separate issue. You want to exercise your right to not incriminate yourself? NP, but you're doing it as a private citizen.

Levi said:

<snip> You want to exercise your right to not incriminate yourself? NP, but you're doing it as a private citizen.

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DING DING DING...... we have a winner!