Police and Public Safety

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.

We need to be absolutely clear: we will not allow Seattle to become a testing ground for authoritarianism. And resistance starts with using every legal tool at our disposal. The Seattle City Attorney’s office has a central role to play in defending our neighbors and our fundamental rights. Here’s how:

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called for an internal report after police took heat for disrupting a pro-LGBTQ counterprotest and shielding anti-trans protesters. Given a long-running pattern of police failures, the process must be public and rigorous to make a difference, Seattle City Attorney candidate Rory O'Sullivan argues.

Last week, former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz filed a lawsuit against the City and Mayor Bruce Harrell, alleging wrongful termination, retaliation, and wage theft. Beyond the monetary cost, the suit could be yet another political headwind for a mayor facing a tough reelection fight.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild has continually sabotaged reform after reform. We can no longer allow SPOG leadership to remain an obstacle to accountable, constitutional policing. Seattle City Attorney candidate Nathan Rouse lays out what the office can do to help.

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s $1.3 billion education levy is set to go to the ballot in November, but it could be weighed down by a controversial proposal to put police officers back in Seattle schools. Meanwhile, Harrell’s draft school safety plan has stalled out, which is drawing criticism from school board leaders that the City’s approach is ill-defined.

Important questions remain despite a newly unearthed report, including how police first obtained sensitive medical information, why the City’s inspector general continued to be directly involved, despite recusal due to conflict of interest, and why the Mayor’s Office opted to hire and accept the findings of another external consultant, following the original investigation’s sustained allegations.

A 2018 traffic stop ended with a horrific Seattle police killing of Iosia Faletogo deemed "lawful and proper." Six years later a jury saw it differently, but the inquest also highlighted the need for stronger police accountability mechanisms.