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Police and Public Safety

Chief Rahr Fires Seattle Cop Who Struck and Killed Jaahnavi Kandula

On Monday, interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr fired SPD Officer Kevin Dave. Dave was driving 74 miles per hour in response to an overdose call almost two years ago when he killed graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula while she was in a crosswalk.
Fire and smoke pours out of upper story windows of an old brick building with a fire crane seeking to control them.

Seattle Aims to Tamp Down Vacant Building Fires

Vacant building fires have become increasingly common in Seattle in recent years. In response to the threat that these fires can pose, Mayor Bruce...
Bruce Harrell sits at a desk signing some orders at City Hall with a dozen supporters looking on.

Centrists Turn to Old Formula: Crime Fears and More Money for Cops

The progressive wing of Seattle politics is having a vigorous debate about the future of the city with plenty of new policy ideas bouncing...
Mayor Jenny Durkan gave soon-to-retire Police Chief Carmen Best some flowers to express her gratitude during a press conference about blocking police budget cuts in the Norm Rice room at City Hall. (Seattle Channel)

Durkan Destroys 10 Months of Text Messages in Apparent Coverup

It was well known that Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is running a secretive administration, but a whistleblower complaint last week revealed a bombshell revelation...
A mother and her two sons walk on a pedestrian path between a row of townhomes. She wears a headscarf and her older son wears a Lebron James jersey. The younger is on a skateboard.

License Plate Readers Proliferate in Washington, Bringing Concerns over ICE Overreach

Automatic license plate readers have proliferated across 81 cities in Washington State, and audits have shown federal agents and anti-abortion states are using Washington plate data to hunt abortion seekers, immigrants, and refugees. This is despite state sanctuary laws intended to shield such vulnerable populations.
Mayor Bruce Harrell stands at a lectern flanked by Police Chief Shon Barnes and Councilmember Bob Kettle, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. A projection screen displays surveillance footage.

Harrell Pushes to Expand Recently Passed Surveillance Camera Pilot Program

Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing to expand his three-month-old surveillance pilot program by installing more police cameras and funneling data from hundreds of traffic management cameras into the Seattle Police Department’s real-time crime center. The move has draw criticism from civil liberties groups.

Inspector General Quietly Terminates Audit into Seattle Police Mutual Aid

Downgraded from a full audit and long delayed, the Office of Inspector General’s six-page mutual aid review did not assess if outside police forces patrolling the streets of Seattle would be required to follow SPD bias policies, be held to SPD force review policies, and be accountable for their actions through the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) complaint process. 

Day 6 of Protests: Nikkita Oliver Rallies Thousands, Mayor Durkan Backpedals

The sixth day of Black Lives Matter protests felt like a turning point and perhaps even a moment of catharsis--while activists acknowledged the work...