We knew
going into our election that people demanded
solutions toward police reform, police accountability.
They also wanted effective policing.
And so when we started looking
at who in this case having Andrew Myerberg come up to our office, we said, well,
this is going to leave a big gap and we have to have someone
that also knows the city.
So we said, well, let's look around first and see, you know,
look under this rock, look under that rocks,
see what we could find out. Kicked the tires a little bit.
Then we also said, well, you know, this problem we have confined is
in terms of race relations, income inequality,
institutional racism, police misconduct, unreasonable force, all of these.
It's not confined to Seattle. Let's open it up
and see who we could find.
I fundamentally believe, as mayor, fundamentally
believe we cannot have safety without accountability.
The two are
different sides of the same coin.
We need strong leadership in our Office of Police Accountability,
and it's going to be a core component to ensure a trusted, effective accounting
system of accountability for our Seattle Police Department.
And so when I say that people are quick to put words in my mouth,
does that mean you were failing before other mayors and have it right?
No, it means that I'm mayor now.
That's what it means, means
that I'm going to put my stamp on what we want to do.
That's what that means.
And I'm going to find someone
that understands my mission and perhaps even has my life experiences.
I talk about being a person of color here in Seattle, and I got a few years on
and this one .
But in the sixties and seventies I said, I understand effective police officers.
I want to have it for everybody.
I also understand what it means to sometimes have, I'll say,
less than a, less than pleasant experiences with the police department.
I'll put it that way.
As demonstrated, demonstrated by the two leaders
before me and Gregory and Kimberly, we got this one right as well.
A little bit about Gino,
who recognizes the importance of generating public trust
by upholding a culture of accountability within SPD,
thorough analysis, objective reasoning,
looking at investigations and how they must be done.
A standard of excellence that he lives his life by.
Those are kind of words I like to hear when someone describes
something, and that's exactly what we heard
in doing our research on Gino Betts
a little bit about his
history.
For those who do not know him,
he's got a wealth of experience as a career public servant.
And during his time at Chicago's Police Accountability Agency,
do they say still say Chi-town? or ... okay, Chi-town!
I don't.
I might be dating myself.
During his time doing that work,
he participated in a number of high profile cases, including help, helping
secure accountability and expose instances of corruption and misconduct.
Most recently, he served as an assistant state attorneys
attorney at the Cook County State's Attorney General's
State's Attorney's Office in Chicago with a focus on violent
and high profile felony cases.
There Gino also led the Southside Community Justice Center,
where he collaborated, collaborated with community leaders, law enforcement
and elected officials to problem solve local concerns and reduce area violence.
That was the body work that he was doing, quite honestly, and his resume
that a lot of us were attracted to. Out there looking at,
I'm not going to denigrate Chicago, Chi-town
because you're Mayor Lori Lightfoot and I become friends.
But I suffice it to say, I love Seattle.
(laughter) I'll just put it that way. Okay.
But being able to go on some of the
roughest areas and to be able to talk about
effective policing and police accountability in the same breath,
that's why Seattle became attracted to you and for you
to take your beautiful family and relocate here.
And I do apologize publicly.
I was introducing Gino at another event and I said and he hails from Atlanta.
But I was saying from Atlanta all at my table.
I had Atlanta in the brain for some reason.
And so I apologize that I had a little fun with the joke.
Your, your decision to come here was not taken lightly.
That means you love this kind of work you're doing.
And I hope you and your wife and your beautiful child
are falling in love with Seattle,
it's a great place to raise a child.
I've raised three of them here.
The word on the street
is a Gino holds a commitment to fairness and justice.
He operates with high integrity and a commitment to the public good.
He has a belief in continuous learning and improvement.
He takes feedback extremely well.
He has proven experience and driving real progress,
not just the talk, but the walk.
He cares deeply about earning public trust in our public safety systems, and
he intends to operate with transparency and be visible in the communities.
That becomes critically important.
You can't just do your, your job of course, in a, in an office.
Again, he believes in what I said earlier.
We cannot have safety without accountability.
And while he's been here in Seattle, you are already being
well received by your tenacity in this work.
So we want to thank you for that.
So, you'll hear from Gino in a minute.
And by the way, it's a good
time is a good time to have the name Gino, too.
I got to say that. You guys get that joke?
(laughter)
All right.
Okay. All right.
But his middle name is Russell Wilson. Did you get.
No, I'm just kidding.
It's not us. (laughter)
Okay, so once again, Elizabeth will
will conduct the oath of office and the ceremonial ceremonial pin
will be affected by Gino's wife, Jessica Joan Lane.
If I'm saying it right.
Jessica Joan Lane
And again, I know that his decision to come here was not made alone.
If if you're anything like my wife, it was not made alone.
So thank you for taking this journey with him.
Thank you very much. Let's do the oath of office.
- Raise your right hand, - Alright
and repeat after me.
- I Gino Betts - I Gino Betts
- Swear or affirm, - Swear and affirm
- that I possess - that I possess
all of the qualifications,
- all of the qualifications - prescribed in the Seattle City Charter,
- prescribed in the Seattle City Charter - and the Seattle Municipal Code
- and the Seattle .. excuse me municipal code
for the position of
- the director of - the director of
the Seattle Office of Police Accountability.
The Seattle Office of Police Accountability.
- That I will support - That I will support
- the Constitution of the United States. - the Constitution of the United States.
the Constitution of the State of Washington,
the Constitution of the State of Washington
- and the Charter and Ordinances - and the Charter and Ordinances
- of the Seattle, the City of seattle - of the City of Seattle
- And that I will faithfully conduct myself - And I will faithfully conduct myself
- as the director of, - as the director of,
the Seattle Office of Police Accountability
the Seattle Office of Police Accountability.
- Congratulations. - Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Well.
It's right here.
You got it?
(oohs and ahhs)
I am assuming all of that oohing and ahing was for me, not my son?
(laughter)
So I have a list of thank you's to start with.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Thank you for your appointment.
Thank you for your confidence.
Thank you, Senior Deputy Mayor Harrell, for your guidance and support
throughout this entire process.
Thank you, council members, for your consideration and confirmation
and taking time to meet with me one on one prior to the hearing.
Thank you, Chair Herbold, for your leadership and your insights.
I also want to acknowledge the human resources team
that led the national search for this position.
Particularly, I used to foster Pam Inch, Ernest Stephens and Melissa Reid.
Last but absolutely not least, I want to thank my beautiful wife,
Jessica, and my son Gino.
Both are here with me today,
my parents and
my sister, my tribe back in Chicago,
who supports every decision I make even when I decide
to move 1700 miles away for this great, great opportunity.
So I've spent the first few weeks in office meeting with police
accountability partners, community leaders and other stakeholders.
And I'm getting the same question over and over again.
Why in the world would you want to lead a Police Accountability Office?
Why? There's so much scrutiny coming from every direction.
It's a thankless job.
If you sustain findings, then the police unions won't like you.
If you don't sustain cases, then the public may be upset with you.
But here's what I know.
Trying to please everyone is a guaranteed
recipe for failure.
So that's not the goal.
What is the goal
is to increase public confidence in the police oversight system.
Actually, let me repeat that goal.
Let me restated.
The actual goal is to increase public and police confidence
in the police oversight system.
We've got to have buy in from everyone.
It's what the Mayer calls, One Seattle.
That's what we're looking for.
That's what we're working, working towards.
How do we do that?
We do it with timely, thorough and fair investigations.
We do it with meaningful disciplinary and policy reform recommendations.
We do it by valuing the perspectives and the insights
of the most impacted communities, often unheard in Seattle.
Another question I get.
Why Seattle?
You from Chi-town, right?
Seattle is a different vibe.
On the surface I would agree with you, but
Chicago and Seattle, they're both hard working cities.
They both are driven by great people
who care deeply about meaningful progress, transparency and fairness.
There's a palpable energy here in Seattle.
I hear it and I feel it when I hear the Mayor speak.
I see it when I see mass public demonstrations,
engagements, the demands for reform.
I also felt it when I recently met a group of new police recruits
who told me that they joined the department in
arguably the most difficult and unpopular time in history
because they were committed
to being the change that they wanted to see.
That energy is also evidenced
by SPD's progress with trainings, technology and policy reforms.
Of course there is more work to do.
Of course there is.
But I'm also convinced that there is no better moment
or no better place to do that work.
Frederick Douglass said, if there is no struggle, there is no progress.
So we welcome the struggle.
We're going to struggle to own past failures.
We'll struggle through frustrations and tough conversations,
and we'll struggle through tough times.
But I'm familiar with struggle.
I grew up on the west side of Chicago.
I know what struggle looks like,
but I also know what's on the other side of struggle.
And that's light.
That's healing.
That's reconciliation.
That's where One Seattle lives.
And I'm humbled and honored to be a part of it.
Thank you all so much.