Partnerships

Seattle Police Monitor

Under the Settlement Agreement a Monitor was appointed to oversee the implementation of the commitments that were agreed upon between the City and the DOJ.  The Monitor's responsibilities include:

• Compliance Review:  Verifying that all the commitments made in the Settlement Agreement are implemented.
• Reporting: Issue public reports every six (6) months on the status of the changes being made
• Technical Assistance: When requested, the Monitor may provide technical assistance as long as it does not conflict with any other responsibilities associated with the Monitor.

The Court approved the selection of Merrick Bobb, who has a long and respected reputation in Police Reform to act as the Monitor for Seattle.  Along with Mr. Bobb, there is a monitoring team, comprised of a highly regarded group of individuals who have experience in an array of fields necessary to implement police reforms.

Compliance Reviews, Audits, and Reports  

Following the appointment of the monitor, SPD developed a schedule that prioritized development and implementation of policy, procedures, practices, training materials and training required in the agreement.  Based on these priorities, a monitoring plan was developed, setting out deadlines, allowing the Monitor to provide the court with Compliance Reviews and Audits.

To date the Monitor has issued the following Assessments:

• 1^st Systemic Assessment: Force Investigation & Reporting (September 2015)
• 2^nd Systemic Assessment: Force Review Board (November 2015
• 3^rd Systemic Assessment: Community Confidence (January 2016)
• 4^th Systemic Assessment: Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) (January 2016)
• 5^th Systemic Assessment: Crisis Intervention (February 2016)
• 6th Systemic Assessment: Supervision (December 2016)
• 7th Systemic Assessment: Type II Force Investigation Review Re-assessment (January 2017)
• 8th Systemic Assessment: Early Intervention System (EIS) (March 2017)
• 9th Systemic Assessment: Use of Force (April 2017)
• 10th Systemic Assessment: Stops, Search, and Seizure (June 2017)

Additionally every six months the Monitor must issue public reports on the implementation of the commitments made under the consent decree.   Those reports can be found on the Seattle Monitor website.  To learn more about the Monitor and his team visit their website at www.seattlemonitor.com

Community Police Commission

The Community Police Commission (CPC) was established through a City Ordinance to formalize the role the community plays in achieving compliance by leveraging the ideas, talent, experience and expertise of the community and ensure there was ongoing community input regarding the reform process.  The CPC is made up of 15 members who are all appointed by the Mayor.  One member represents the Seattle Police Officer's Guild (SPOG) and one member represents the Seattle Police Management Association (SPMA).  The remaining 13 members have been selected from applicants who reside or work in Seattle.

The CPC has been given specific responsibility including:

• Review the reports and recommendations of the Monitor as well as issue its own reports or recommendations to the City on the implementation of the settlement agreement.
• Review and issue reports or recommendations in regard to initiatives proposed by SPD and the City to support the reform process.
• Maintain regular contact with the city to ensure effective and timely communication regarding its responsibilities.
• Hold public meetings at regular intervals to discuss the Monitor's reports and to receive community feedback about SPD's progress on compliance with the Agreements.
• The CPC can consider issues related to;
  • Community engagement
  • Accountability
  • Investigatory Stops and Data Collection
  • Officer assistance and support
  • Transparency and public reporting

To learn more about the CPC visit their website at www.seattle.gov/community-police-commission