Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7), Chair of the Public Safety Committee, and Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9) released the following statements in response to unprecedented actions by the federal government involving ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the Army National Guard.
“Seattle is facing many challenges from the federal government with respect to public safety, particularly with federal law enforcement. It is important for us as a city, and for me as Public Safety Committee Chair, to clarify our approach to public safety in Seattle and how it ties into our Seattle values. In short, the recent events that have led to uninvited federal intervention in major ‘blue’ cities throughout the country are unprecedented, lack a cohesive strategy, and are incredibly dangerous for our democracy.
First is the idea of professionalism in law enforcement. Seattle Police Department (SPD) policies require officers in uniform or plain clothes to identify themselves, show their identification, and explain the reason for any arrest. Officers are not permitted to hide their identity by covering their faces. These professional standards are the baseline regarding SPD policy and rooted in the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. This is setting the standard, which I would equate to being ‘varsity.’ We need federal law enforcement to meet this standard – this is the expectation of constitutional policing, and it is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, federal law enforcement is not meeting that standard now, as we have seen with ICE. If federal law enforcement does not act professionally and maintain the same standard as SPD, they are not varsity. To be frank, they are, in effect, ‘junior varsity.’
With regard to the activation of the National Guard to Washington D.C. and the taking over of the Metropolitan Police Department: all of this is unprecedented, unnecessary, and simply put, wrong. The military’s role is not as a law enforcement agency, but rather to defend the nation. In addition to being a councilmember, I am also a military veteran. I believe that using military personnel in the current context is not right, and we unilaterally condemn the current strategy of unannounced deployments done without consent of the impacted jurisdiction.
Rather than threaten our city and other cities across the country with Army National Guard deployments, we need the government in the other Washington to partner with us to address our public safety challenges. Instead of sending Guard troops, send the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) personnel to tackle the flow of weapons and drugs across state lines along the I-5 corridor. Instead of heavy-handed tactics, provide a hand to help add more sworn officers to our Seattle Police Department, or equipment for our Seattle Fire Department. This highlights another serious point: instead of National Guard deployments, focus instead on ensuring that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is strong and its grants continue to be there for us and other cities when we need them the most. This is how the federal government can help our city deal with public safety challenges.
The guardian model and a renewed focus on professionalism in our law enforcement is what Seattle has, and what we as Seattleites expect. That is what we strive for. Our police department is here to protect and serve, to carry out their mission to prevent crime, enforce the law, support quality public safety, and to do so with Seattle values. This is our way of doing business; we are focused on public safety and creating a safe space for all. That is what we are doing with our Public Safety Committee and that is what we have been doing with this City Council over the last 18 months, with over two dozen pieces of public safety legislation. We have our job to do and we’re doing it. The federal government must reevaluate its tactics and do the same.‘ – Councilmember Bob Kettle
“The actions of the federal government undermine our public safety efforts in Seattle. This is not the way to restore public trust in police. Not on our watch will ICE agents undermine our efforts to ensure everyone in every community across our City feels safe. I am prepared to work with local officials at every level to avoid this unprecedented level of federal encroachment.” – Council President Sara Nelson
Background
Chair Kettle previously made these comments at two separate Public Safety Committee meetings: the July 22 Public Safety Committee meeting and the August 12 Public Safety Committee meeting.
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