#692 - Federal Judge Doesn't See Path Yet Toward Ending Seattle Consent Decree On Police Reform

The judge overseeing federal oversight of the Seattle Police Department and the monitor he appointed warned Tuesday that divisive politics are undermining court-ordered reforms and that inaction could send the department into a “deepening crisis,” further undermining public safety.

U.S. District Judge James Robart, who oversees a consent decree signed by the city and the Department of Justice in 2012, mentioned more than once during a hearing Tuesday that original estimates were that the SPD would reach full compliance with the 100-paragraph document in five years, addressing issues of excessive use of force and biased policing that caused the DOJ to sue the city in the first place.

Nine years later, the city remains under federal oversight with no real end in sight, the department suffering a budget and personnel crisis, and the judge wondering when and how it will end. Robart, however, made one point clear. It won’t end until he says so.

Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW, and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/federal-judge-to-seattle-officials-too-much-knee-jerk-not-enough-forethought-on-police-reform/