The thrill of dysfunction on the Seattle Police Division (SPD) hit a crescendo in 2024 with management upheaval, crisscrossing lawsuits, and one *yawn* intercourse scandal. By means of all of it, Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Seattle Metropolis Council maintained their religion in SPD as an establishment, saved shoveling cash on the division, supplied cops extra methods to jail folks for low-level offenses, and elevated methods for SPD to surveil the Metropolis, all whereas making nearly zero enhancements to cop self-discipline and accountability programs.
Seattle cops spent 2024 ricocheting between headlines about their scandals, to the Metropolis’s newest plans to throw extra sources their method. Within the first three months of 2024 alone, the Metropolis paid out a $10 million settlement to the Seattle residents who SPD officers had left with everlasting accidents in the course of the 2020 protests. Simply weeks later, SPD’s zealous response to pro-Palestine demonstrators led to a number of Workplace of Police Accountability (OPA) investigations, a reminder of the police pressure’s heavy-handed crowd management strategies. Later that month, The Stranger printed a video of SPD Officer Mark Rawlins throwing a handcuffed, 58-year-old man to the bottom. In March, information broke that SPD had didn’t alert the town about their ongoing investigation into an axe assassin who seemed to be concentrating on the homeless. Regardless of all this, in mid-March Council President Sara Nelson threw out a suggestion about paying for cops’ housing to recruit and retain officers.
Whereas the Council continued to cheer on SPD as an entire, awarding them a $457 million funds, a couple of particular person cops confronted the boot from the division in 2024, together with former Chief of Police Adrian Diaz, whose dalliance with a senior aide led to his termination on the finish of the 12 months. He joined the ranks of fellow 2024 fired officers, together with former Seattle police union Vice President Daniel Auderer and slur hurling Burton Hill.
All in all, Metropolis leaders appear desirous to push a “forward-looking imaginative and prescient” of SPD because it limps into 2025 with nonetheless lowering staffing numbers and soon-to-be Chief of Police Shon Barnes. Barnes managed to sidestep having to make a controversial resolution in one of the vital notorious circumstances involving SPD lately, which concerned SPD Officer Kevin Dave’s hitting and killing of 23-year-old school pupil Jaahnavi Kandula. Whereas appearing as Seattle’s interim police chief, Sue Rahr fired each Dave, who hit Kandula, in addition to Auderer, whose feedback concerning Kandula’s dying prompted a global outcry. Sadly, the division nonetheless has a few different notable circumstances to resolve. Let’s check out Dave’s firing this week in addition to a few of SPD’s lingering police misconduct circumstances.
Firing of Jaahnavi Kandula’s Killer
Case #2023OPA-0043
On Monday, The Stranger broke the information about Rahr’s resolution to fireside Dave for his hitting and killing of Kandula on January 23, 2023. Rahr stated in her e-mail that an OPA investigation into Dave discovered he had violated SPD’s insurance policies round following the legislation, emergency response, secure operation of officer patrol automobiles, and use of emergency sirens and lights. Whereas Rahr acknowledged that Dave possible had not got down to damage anybody, she couldn’t settle for the “tragic penalties of his harmful driving,” she stated in her e-mail.
Rahr stated she understood some folks would possibly disagree along with her resolution, however that she hoped the “heartbreaking” scenario would stand as a reminder to all officers in regards to the risks of driving at extreme speeds whereas responding to emergency calls.
In 2024 the King County Prosecuting Legal professional (PAO) declined to file fees towards Dave for the collision, and their report confirmed that investigators clocked Dave’s pace at 74 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone seconds earlier than he hit Kandula. Washington’s murky authorized requirements in relation to what counts as reckless for officers responding to an emergency makes it troublesome for prosecutors to file felony fees, even in some extremely preventable circumstances, as described in a CascadePBS article from June. Investigators who examined Kandula’s dying stated that had Dave as an alternative pushed at speeds of fifty miles per hour, he’d have had sufficient time to keep away from putting her.
After the PAO declined the case, the Seattle Metropolis Legal professional’s Workplace tossed a ticket at Dave for negligent driving, a civil infraction for which he incurred a $5,000 wonderful, should full a brief stint in driving college, and serve some neighborhood service.
Since Kandula’s dying, Publicola has reported on a litany of examples of Dave’s spotty driving historical past in addition to his firing from the Tucson Police Division, all of which SPD officers knew about earlier than they employed him.
Pulling Over Metro Bus Driver
Case #2024OPA-0152
In March final 12 months, Seattle Police Division Detective Anthony Belgarde pulled over a King County Metro bus driver for honking at Belgrade when the detective reportedly pulled out in entrance of the bus. A passenger on the bus filmed a part of the interplay between Belgarde and the bus driver, the place Belgarde says he pulled the motive force over for “street rage” and threatens to take him to jail for obstruction when the motive force refuses to offer his license.
The OPA partially sustained allegations towards Belgarde for violating SPD’s insurance policies round tickets and visitors experiences, however didn’t maintain a criticism towards Belgarde for violation of SPD’s insurance policies round both professionalism or integrity and ethics. The OPA has nonetheless not launched a closed case abstract on their findings within the case, however I’ll replace you when it does.
Good to notice nevertheless that Belgarde’s one other SPD officer with a historical past of harmful driving. In 2020, a Federal Method police officer tried to tug Belgarde over after he ran a pink mild whereas dashing, in response to reporting from DivestSPD. When the officer activated his lights and sirens, he stated Belgarde elevated his pace, and the officer famous he believed Belgarde tried to flee. The officer in the end arrested Belgarde for a DUI, although Belgarde refused to blow into the breathalyzer, saying he’d take the suspended license as an alternative.
OPA couldn’t self-discipline Belgarde for his 2020 arrest resulting from a former OPA Director’s failure to provoke an investigation after a supervisor reported the incident. By the point the investigation was accomplished, it was exterior the four-year time restrict set by the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild contract. Belgarde additionally escaped self-discipline for a 2015 incident when he confronted fees for fourth diploma assault after OPA took too lengthy to finish an investigation.
Previous to becoming a member of SPD, Belgarde already had a troubling driving incident. In 2005, he hit and killed a 65-year-old man in a Bremerton car parking zone, a 12 months earlier than SPD employed him, in response to additional reporting from DivestSPD. The division knew in regards to the incident once they employed Belgarde to patrol our streets.
Breaking batons
Case #2024OPA-0238
Lastly, in June of final 12 months, the OPA launched an investigation into SPD Sergeant Nathan Patterson and Officer Cody Alidon after a witness recorded the 2 officers repeatedly hitting a person who they suspected of arson. The video led Interim Chief Rahr to make a public assertion about SPD’s plans to analyze the officers’ actions. The investigation into the incident remains to be lively and the 180 day timeline for OPA investigations was prolonged de to personnel points, in response to an OPA spokesperson. The investigation ought to be completed within the subsequent few weeks.
Additional reporting by The Stranger confirmed that Patterson was the identical officer who as soon as bragged about breaking his nightstick on somebody’s physique.
