Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s statement on Department of Justice findings

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Councilmember Bruce Harrell

Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s statement on Department of Justice findings

SEATTLE – Today, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Council’s Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) announcement of investigative findings on the Seattle Police Department:

"Moving forward, the DOJ’s report will be a tool to increase accountability and effectiveness.  While we can spend an inordinate amount of resources refuting the criticisms and conclusions reached in the report, I do not believe that is a recommended approach. I am more concerned with how we as a City, implement policy changes and personnel changes that will improve accountability and transparency. 

"We must be bold enough to openly discuss and distinguish our policy failures and our failures in conduct.  The best ideas moving forward will come from many of the police officers who demonstrate optimum conduct and who know these issues well; the Command leadership who will be bold enough to address these issues openly and honestly, and our community. 

"The DOJ has made it very clear in their findings that it will take this type of collaboration to achieve sustainable reform.  My proposal to implement body cameras as a means to preserve an evidentiary record of field events, which has been overwhelmingly supported by the community, is a good example."

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