Seattle police, are they that bad? (Federal Way, Lynnwood: felony, live, law)

[rockyinyourradio]

Since my trip out to Seattle this past November, I have done nothing but rave about how wonderful the city is. Sadly, I heard about this on our local news station here in Oklahoma City. Has anyone here on City Data or anyone you know had any negative experiences with the police? I can say your not alone, we have had similar problems here in Oklahoma, infact I think it's getting to be a national problem. Thoughts on this? and what about other places around the SeaTac area? Below is a link to the news story from KING5 news.

DOJ press release on Seattle PD civil rights investigation | KING5.com Seattle

[wutitiz]

I think it's not really a simple picture.

If you look at the case that prompted the investigation, the shooting of woodcarver John Williams by SPD officer Ian Burke, I think it was just a misjudgement and probably poor training/policies. No use-of-force training can possibly account for every situation, every contingency. In this case the guy was drunk and partially deaf, and didn't hear/understand the order to drop his pocketknife, so he got shot.

Overall there is a lack of accountability because the union is so strong & aggressive. Every few months there is another news story about an SPD officer getting in trouble for this or that, and they always get a slap on the wrist & go on their merry way.

Another problem is that they just don't seem to do their job of going after criminals. I lived in Seattle for 10 years. One time I was a victim of a serious crime, a felony, and I knew who did it. I had to make like 10 calls and at least 5 visits downtown getting shuffled from office to office, before I could get them to lift a finger and arrest the perp. Finally I wrote letters to the chief and mayor complaining and threatening to shop my story to the press, and that finally got them off their duffs. Eventually the perp was arrested and convicted, but only due to persistence on my part. SPD just wanted me to go away so they could go back to getting lap dances and busting strippers.

[Huckleberry3911948]

lots of convicted felons post on CDF they would be happy to support your thread.
strange-- been on CDF since 2007, close to 100 cop hate threads.
most post videos and of course i watch them all. in every case, the suspect verbally abused the cop then physically attacks him and assaults him b4 the cop reacts. in every case the cop did not shoot or use his baton on the suspect.
and every post says ---here is proof of a cop beating up a law abiding citizen for no reason at all.
police brutality.

[Xanathos]

In a word, yes, our police are as bad as they are portrayed. You actually have to be more concerned about them than you do the prospect of running afoul of a regular criminal.

Odds are you'll never encounter either here in this city, but we've got a lot of cops up here that are in the wrong line of work.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by wutitiz

Another problem is that they just don't seem to do their job of going after criminals. I lived in Seattle for 10 years. One time I was a victim of a serious crime, a felony, and I knew who did it. I had to make like 10 calls and at least 5 visits downtown getting shuffled from office to office, before I could get them to lift a finger and arrest the perp. Finally I wrote letters to the chief and mayor complaining and threatening to shop my story to the press, and that finally got them off their duffs. Eventually the perp was arrested and convicted, but only due to persistence on my part. SPD just wanted me to go away so they could go back to getting lap dances and busting strippers.

This was the most negative thing I experienced about the SPD when I lived in Seattle. My car got broken into and vandalized, and the parts that were stolen had been stolen out of numerous other S2000's in the Seattle area. They were always listen on Craigslist and eBay within a few hours, always with the same two phone numbers. We all banded together and got all the info on the guys that were doing it, who'd had numerous run-ins with cops in the Seattle area for car theft. The Seattle PD couldn't be bothered to get off their butts; however, the cops in Federal Way and Lynnwood were more than happy to take all of our info and go after the guys...

As far as their general character? They weren't that bad, really. I use the LAPD as my barometer for awful cops, and they aren't even in the same solar system when it comes to civil rights violations and unwarranted aggression. The shooting of John Williams was awful and deserves an investigation; tazing or macing would have been adequate, but I have the suspicion that since nowadays tazing or macing is the acceptable protocol when someone asks you why they're being arrested, having a drunk old guy in a crosswalk with a pocket knife warrants a gunshot.

However, the girl who got punched a few months/year ago? Totally deserved it. That's what happens when you start screaming at and grabbing a cop. That got touted as "police brutality" because she was a minor, but she got what she was asking for.

Keep in mind, many if not most major police departments have at least a couple civil rights violation investigations going on at any given point. The fact that it actually made the news for Seattle says something about the general climate there.

[Hemlock140]

I think that some individual officers may be frustrated at the lenient city
attitude toward crime, and sometimes it simply becomes too much to take. That's not an excuse but I think the problem starts with the mayor and city council.

[wutitiz]

Yeah, 415, after I went through my experience with SPD, I learned that it was not atypical. They just don't seem to have any interest in going after criminals. For me once my case got to the King County prosecutor's office, it was a totally different story. They did an excellent job.

I think it's mostly a public sector union thing. Take the accountability out of any job, and this is what happens. If the job happens to be that of cop, now it's a real mess.

[eskercurve]

Short answer: no. Next question.

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by rockyinyourradio

Since my trip out to Seattle this past November, I have done nothing but rave about how wonderful the city is. Sadly, I heard about this on our local news station here in Oklahoma City. Has anyone here on City Data or anyone you know had any negative experiences with the police? I can say your not alone, we have had similar problems here in Oklahoma, infact I think it's getting to be a national problem. Thoughts on this? and what about other places around the SeaTac area? Below is a link to the news story from KING5 news.

DOJ press release on Seattle PD civil rights investigation | KING5.com Seattle

Sometime back in history the local newspaper exposed a problem where the Seattle police used one of the vacant buildings in the International District for a gambling ring. Other then that, I've never had a problem with them eccept the ire of getting a parking ticket. That's the main reason I never shop downtown, even though I live so close.

[bergenboy]

well,they are a hard working force,its just the fact that they act too unnecessary at times...........