SEATTLE — In an open revolt, more than 100 Seattle police officers suing to block new use-of-force polices assert that high-level city, police and union officials privately agree with their contention that the court-ordered changes put them and the public in danger.

But the officers who filed the suit aren't naming those high-level officials, saying only that the officials told them they won't seek to alter the policies because of the "politics" of the situation and the "perceived inability" to fight federally mandated reforms, the officers allege in newly filed court papers.

"This means that the City is now knowingly and willingly playing politics with Plaintiffs' lives and the lives of the law-abiding citizens of Seattle," the officers wrote in a 34-page amended complaint filed late Wednesday with U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman.

The complaint, which added new allegations to a May 28 lawsuit to block the policies, ratcheted up the court fight with its fresh allegations of cowering officials bowing to federal demands and vague claims that the policies have led to more assaults on officers.

Sprinkled with more pointed language than the initial suit, the new complaint accuses the federal monitor tracking the reforms, Merrick Bobb, of carrying out a "zealous agenda" to restrict the ability of officers to use force and make reasonable, split-second decisions.

Bobb is one of a number of defendants in the suit, which also names city and federal officials.

The complaint also lambastes U.S. District Judge James Robart, who is overseeing the reforms and found the policies to be constitutional, for approving the changes in a "cursory, one-and-one-half-page order."

The filing, which came a week after attorneys for the city and Bobb moved to dismiss the lawsuit, poses a new challenge for Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole, a strong supporter of the reforms who, shortly before being sworn into the job June 23, met with four of the officers to convey her concern that their suit had created the appearance that they were resisting reform and hindering efforts to restore community trust.

It also opened an old wound, alleging that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) improperly wrung the policies out of the city based on a discredited and "fundamentally flawed finding" that Seattle officers had engaged in a pattern or practice of using excessive force.

The policies, which went into effect Jan. 1, grew out of a July 2012 consent decree between the city and the Justice Department, which required the police department to adopt sweeping reforms to curtail excessive force and biased policing.

The officers challenging the policies, primarily patrol officers in the 1,236-member department, brought their suit without an attorney or the support of their union, the Seattle Police Officers' Guild.

In a statement Thursday, guild President Ron Smith said, "As I have stated before, there are severe flaws with the current Use of Force policy, but litigation is not the prudent route to achieve any changes to the policy. The review period for this policy is currently open, and input is being solicited from the rank and file on how to potentially improve the policy."

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www.policeone.com/use-of-force/articles/7511844-Seattle-cops-say-city-playing-politics-with-their-lives/

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www.policeone.com/use-of-force/articles/7511844-Seattle-cops-say-city-playing-politics-with-their-lives/

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Weird, I always figured if people didn't like their employer's rules they could quit and go work somewhere else......

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You mean like throw away their retirement and go start from scratch somewhere else?

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Its pretty fucking sad when "journalists" cant spell and grammar check before publising. I wish I owned a paper. I'd fire you andd the editor for that shit.

use-of-force polices.. ? really? what a sad fucking state we are in....

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Its pretty fucking sad when "journalists" cant spell and grammar check before publising. I wish I owned a paper. I'd fire you andd the editor for that shit.



use-of-force polices.. ? really? what a sad fucking state we are in....

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Hear that sound?

That was the point going over your head.

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You mean like throw away their retirement and go start from scratch somewhere else?

"To those individuals," Robart said, "I simply say: 'Get over it. The train has left the station. It's not going to turn around. The good old days are not coming back.' "

That's right, we got to be judged. But case-by-case, circumstance by circumstance, and human being by human being. You can pass judgment on law enforcement officers in general, but they are going to do the same on the public, oh yea. And God help us if they feel the public let them down. And the day you convince the average policeman that it isn't worthwhile to go to the dark alley, or stop a suspicious vehicle, or question something it is his instinct and training telling maybe evil then that’s the day this country starts to go, we wouldn’t be the first, we wouldn’t be the last.

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TL;DR... what are the policies in question?

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TL;DR... what are the policies in question?

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And self fund a home sale, move, and school transfer plus their spouse losing their Job?

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I'm trying to get worked up over this, but it's hard since there is absolutely no info on what these policies are. Could be good, could be bad. I don't know whether to root for the city or the cops.

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TL;DR... what are the policies in question?

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Basically, they obsess on race and gender, require hours of time off patrol doing statistical reporting so the politicians can say you arrested too many people of whatever demographic.  It also functionally removes intermediate force options like tasers and batons, making them virtually at the level of lethal force...thus leaving officers without tools to prevent escalation.  

Imagine if Al Sharpton wrote a policy.  That's it.

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seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022479540_forcepolicyxml.html