SPD Community Outreach Program
"Building Bridges One Community Member at a Time"

Demographic Advisory Councils

BACKGROUND

The Seattle Police Department formed Precinct Advisory Councils (PACs) in the late 1980s as one of the Department’s first community policing efforts. The goal of the councils was to have groups of citizens, who were geographically based, become more knowledgeable about law enforcement in their communities and more invested in partnering with the Department on public safety issues.

In the mid-1990s, Seattle Police observed that established precinct advisory groups were not reflective of the diverse communities living in the City, and believed it was critical to create an avenue for the Department to reach out and develop relationships with minority communities as well as a way for their diverse voices to be heard. The goal was to create more diverse advisory groups to work with SPD on challenging issues and to educate the communities about the role and function of police.

In 2002, SPD assigned at least one police officer to work in a liaison role with each of the demographic advisory councils. In addition to the police officer liaisons assigned to each council, there is one designated Command Staff to act as an additional liaison between the Department and the advisory council. Each council also has a support staffer. This structure provides council and community members with access to the Department not only at the 'street' level but at the Command 'policy and decision making' level. It also provides an opportunity and an effective way for issues of concern to be made known to the Department and collaboratively resolved.

Officer Liaisons attend advisory council meetings and spend non-enforcement time with community-based organizations referred by councils. They also problem solve issues with council and community members, educate the community about the Department and its role, respond to crisis situations in their respective communities, and facilitate meetings regarding police and citizen interactions.

In October 2003, a new City Wide Advisory Council, also know as CWAC, was implemented. CWAC is comprised of representatives from each of the demographic and precinct advisory councils. CWAC meets with the Chief of Police on a quarterly basis to discuss broad issues that affect many different segments of the community in general.

SPD has 11 demographic advisory councils. These diverse councils provide an effective way to build bridges between minority communities and the police department, which results in increased awareness, improved understanding, and open dialogue regarding challenging issues including perceptions of racial profiling. Advisory councils are also a good way to gain knowledge and understanding of SPD and policing in general.

WHAT DO THE ADVISORY COUNCILS DO?

OUR GOALS

• Create and strengthen programs and communication efforts that build trust between police and minority communities.

• Increase participation of individuals from minority communities working in partnership with Seattle Police on public safety issues.

FOCUS AREAS & OBJECTIVES

• Relationship building: Break down negative perceptions of law enforcement in minority communities by building relationships between individual officers and members of minority communities

• Education and Training: Improve officer training and education regarding cultural norms that may impact police and citizen interactions. Enhance the understanding of the role of police through educational materials tailored to specific communities and translated into appropriate languages.

• Dialogue: Increase ongoing dialogue between Seattle Police and minority communities about perceptions of law enforcement in the community.

GETTING INVOLVED

Each council functions differently, some meet monthly, others quarterly, and still others on an "as needed" basis. To find out more contact:

Community Outreach Program Manager,
Maggie Olsen
(206) 684-8672 | email

ADVISORY COUNCILS

City Wide Advisory Council

African American

East African

Filipino

Korean

Latino

LGBTQ

Muslim, Sikh & Arab

Native American

Southeast Asian

Youth Outreach