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May 29, 2009 in City
Few show up to meet ombudsman candidates
PJALS director Liz Moore called for independent oversight of the Spokane Police Department on Friday. “Anything less is insulting to the people of this community and won’t repair the relationship between the police department and the people they’re supposed to protect and serve,” she said.
(Full-size photo)
The warmest day of year appeared to be enough to keep crowds from a Friday meet and greet with the three finalists vying to be Spokane’s first police ombudsman.
Fewer than a dozen people — including two citizens and a few city staff members — showed up in the City Council chambers for the first of three public forums with candidates Tony Betz, Tim Burns and Greg Weber.
“I was surprised by the turnout,” said Mike Cronin, one of two community members who capitalized on the opportunity to quiz each candidate.
The low attendance at the forum set up by city leaders was in contrast to events earlier in the day at the Chase Gallery inside City Hall. There, a coalition of social activist organizations demanded a halt to a process they see as flawed.
“Fix it before you fill it,” said Liz Moore, director of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, which took the lead in organizing opposition to hiring an ombudsman who will lack independent investigative authority over police.
“Even the best candidate for this position will be hamstrung and toothless” without the authority to conduct independent investigations and “will only deepen distrust between citizens and police,” Moore said.
Neither Mayor Mary Verner nor any council members were present to hear the coalition’s demands.
“We’ve seen this cycle in Spokane before: a horrible incident of misconduct or racism, followed by righteous public outrage, followed by meaningless reform that’s just a waste of time and money,” said Deb Abrahamson, a Spokane tribal member and director of the SHAWL Society.
Other speakers included representatives of the low-income advocacy group VOICES, the Spokane affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Progressive Democrats of America, as well as Shonto Pete, an American Indian who survived being shot by an off-duty Spokane police officer in 2007.
At 5 p.m., city staff presented the three finalists for ombudsman before a much smaller crowd: Betz, a retired FBI official and Texas A&M University instructor; Burns, a retired police officer and neighborhood preservation officer for Visalia, Calif.; and Spokane attorney Weber, a former deputy director of the state Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and deputy prosecutor in Okanogan and Pierce counties.
Only the two community members asked questions, including about the handling of the 2006 death of Otto Zehm, who died after being tied and beaten in police custody during the investigation of a crime he did not commit, and the shooting of Pete. The two incidents were the catalyst for creation of the ombudsman position.
Cronin wanted to know how the candidates would ease the community’s mistrust of police, especially following those events. After the forum, Cronin said he favored Weber as his pick, because he was the only one without a background in law enforcement.
“I think he’s the gentleman who can bridge the gap between our community and the police department,” Cronin said. The other two candidates are “like the fox watching the hen house.”
The City Council approved the ombudsman position last year after negotiations with the city’s police unions, which by law have a say in police oversight. But in doing so, the council disregarded many of the recommendations of a consultant hired by the city.
The ombudsman will be able to send complaints to the department’s Internal Affairs office but cannot conduct his own review or release names of principals in complaints.
The coalition protesting Friday prepared a draft of a proposed ordinance to establish an independent office of police oversight to substitute for the ombudsman ordinance approved by the council.
Rights panel poorly understood 
liarsinnews on May 29 at 4:02 p.m.
I`ll wager that if OTTO is watching this farce, he`d know it is a facade.
Pat O'Leary on May 29 at 4:17 p.m.
This is a sad joke. Why in the hell bother with this dog and pony show? Without the authority to investigate independently, this office should be abolished before it begins. Here it’s been over 3 years since Otto Zehm’s murder, and this is the best we can come up with. The foxes will continue to guard the hen house. I am beyond disgusted and ashamed of this city.
Pat O’Leary
George_Sands on May 29 at 7:47 p.m.
I was very dissapointed at the protest. I would have assumed it would have started at 4:30 and then ended at the beginning of the interviews, and that the protestors would have asked intelligent, good questions, but I guess they chickened out on us. Liz Moore has yet to publish her resume and credentials for the Director position of JPALS. Already she has presented several examples of bad leadership skills. PJALS needs a more resourceful and mature Director.
Whom was the other citizen that asked questions and what were they and the responses?
the_lounge on May 30 at 12:00 a.m.
George,
First of all, what? It’s hard to decipher your gripe through the bad grammar. Secondly, what? I’m sorry, exactly where would you like Liz Moore to “publish” her credentials and since when is that a requirement of any sort? In any case, I’m sure if you called the PJALS office she would be more than happy to fill you in on her 20+ years or community organizing and human rights advocacy work, but I digress… Can you list ONE example of bad leadership skills? That might help to give your post a smidgen of credibility. Also, an actual example of how Liz Moore has acted in an immature way would be appreciated since everyone I know who is affiliated with PJALS is thrilled with her passion for human rights issues, committed work ethic and go-getter-mentality. Please, if you care about the issues and want to help, desist with the obtuse criticism and assist PJALS in a constructive manner.
jenny on May 30 at 1:12 a.m.
This is real sad, I agree. The police department, in the best interest of the public they serve, need to set up a separate citizen review board that when the people suffer from police brutality and misconduct they can press charges and have the charges acted on fairly and impartially. This should include a complaint department that actually handles the complaints. The Police Union or Guild is doing an inadequate job and putting the police officers above the law. This is wrong. There needs to be accountability for wrongdoings. The murder of Otto Zehm is a classic example followed by the attempted murder of Shonto Pete. There are many others too numerous to mention. Letting the guilty parties get away with it is condoning criminal activity among the police officers. The city of Spokane is not safe while crime is being condoned by the police department and it trickles over to the justice departments, The rowdy and gun happy policemen are going to commit more murder and other crime since they know they can get away with it. Calling 911 will be like calling a murderer if you reach a so called, “bad cop”. Where is the trust? The motto “to protect and serve” is what real police officers take serious There are many good police officers who do just that. But the ones who don’t. those few “bad cops”, need to suffer the consequences of their actions. Jay Olsen for one is, thankfully, not on the force anymore..In my opinion, he got away with attempted murder by shooting Shonto Pete in the head while off duty and legally drunk. He endangered the citizens of Peaceful Valley by shooting sporadically in Pete’s direction while Pete was fleeing. Pete had to seek refuge there from a madman who never once identified himself as a police officer. Also, Olsen suspiciously never tried to call for back-up because he knew he did not need it. Pete did nothing to warrant getting shot in the head while his back was to Olsen and he was running away, down a steep embankment. And furthermore, the seven officers who beat Otto Zehm and suffocated him to death need to be held accountable too. The many other officers who are getting away with Dui’s and uncalled for shootings and several other terrible atrocities need to be held accountable as the are “bad cops.” They need to understand that they can’t be breaking the law. Things need to change in Spokane in order for the trust to be restored. Get an ombudsman who has the authority to bring charges against the “bad cops” and try them as you would a citizen who breaks the law. This will cause the courts to be fair and impartial too. As it is now, it was a “travesty of justice” in the Jay Olsen trial where evidence was omitted in favor of the now former Policeman who was clearly in the wrong. In order to protect our justice system we need to correct this blatant biasness in the court system obviously caused by a police guild that protects the wrongdoing “bad cop.” It is crucial to have a substantial complaint department and citizen overview that can put an end to criminal activity on the police force, caused by the “bad cops.”
George_Sands on May 30 at 7:33 a.m.
Well there lounge, one has to face reality. We are not going to change the ombudsman roll at this point in time, and protesting what we got SHOULD have and COULD have been more in tune with the candidates soire. But, no they made a short term ineffective hullabaloo and then ran back iaway and decided to NOT participate in the process.
i dont like what got foisted on us and I would bet that the ombudsman lite (whom ever it turns out to be), is going to have a major influence on how they carry out the “mission” and change their roll into what we really want. Communicating what we want is done through these candidate meetings. It provides a sniff test for BOTH side.
Waving the flag, jumping up and down will only get media attention and not the change we seek and then jaunting out the back door, doesnt get it with me. You WORK through the process in place and you attempt to change it. thats how our system works. You either fight or flight.
Ms. Moore if she wants to be effective, should have appeared at the candidate meeting, but decided that asking direct questions of the candidates was below her. She blew her one chance (out of 3 meetings) to become involved in the process. I expect leadership from her, just as I will expect leadership from the candidate we choose. As far as I can tell Moore was the one who refused to meet the candidates in the public forum not the other way around.
Concerned_Zag_Citizen on May 31 at 11:53 a.m.
The Two Candidates plagued with Law Enforcement Corruption and “Experience” were duly anointed and tagged as “THE FOX WATCHING THE HEN HOUSE”. That metaphoric descriptor is most illustrative, and quite funny to boot! I would love to see the Spokesman’s Cartoonist Get to Work on that visual.
Accordingly, let’s not let the Corrupt Retired Copper-Chitlins “COME BACK [To Spokane] TO ROOST” !!!
FYI…”Chitlins”, often spelled chitterlings, are a type of food made from PIG intestines. YIKES!!!
My most humble support, too, is cast in favor of “Mr. Independent”, Greg Weber.
Please challenge me with an intelligent, reasonable, and informed reply/comment. I also challenge you to be polite. At least fake it. Please restore my faith in those of differing opinions…please!
jenny on June 04 at 12:22 a.m.
To George Sands:
What will change with the position the way it is? Nothing except there will be an extra employee with nothing to do. No authority, no clout.
You think he can get the position and then change it into “what we really want, ” you are dreaming. It should have been changed into what we really want years ago. Right now it is what the police guild wants and are getting. This is a just a ploy by the police department. and the police.
The police, the bad ones are committing crimes. This ombudsman is probably going to go along with what is already in place.
The union or the guild calls the shots. You see the problem but its been in place too long and you can’t recognize that you, a citizen can get the change you want by demanding along with the rest of the people who can see through this so called ombudsman without authority.