M. Lorena González, Council President (Position 9, Citywide) and civil rights attorney, issued the following statement after the Office of Police Accountability released its findings regarding the six Seattle Police Department officers who were present at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 insurrection:
“Like so many of you, I was deeply disturbed to learn that SPD had the largest contingent of officers, who participated in the Trump rally, that led to the anti-democratic and un-American actions at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th insurrection. Law enforcement officers are entrusted with the power and responsibility to uphold our laws. Their participation in activities intended to undermine the lawful and legitimate results of our electoral system and diminish the integrity of our democracy is unacceptable.
“SPD leadership must hold accountable the two officers who breached restricted areas on the Capitol grounds and acted complicitly with those who stormed the Capitol Building, and they must be terminated immediately. Additionally, there should be disciplinary action and accountability for the four other officers who participated in the reprehensible events on January 6.
“The event that led to the insurrection against the U.S. Congress was not simply your run-of-the-mill political rally; its inherent purpose and intent was to subvert our electoral system and democratic processes. And that is precisely what occurred when many attendees of that rally, including SPD officers, initiated a violent and fatal uprising in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election.
“Police officers who participated in the events that fueled the insurrectionist assaults and deaths in Washington D.C. must be disciplined. We must also hold accountable our law enforcement agency that protects rather than terminates individuals who engaged in activities that so severely undermine public trust and confidence.
“Police officers take a solemn oath to serve and protect the public by upholding our laws and the U.S. Constitution. Their extraordinary power to take life and restrict our liberty requires that we hold our police to a higher standard of professionalism. We must change SPD’s culture and policies to ensure Seattleites can have faith that all police officers respect and adhere to the basic principles of democracy and justice.”