Spokane police ombudsman launches website

Spokane’s police ombudsman has a new tool to make it easier for people to file complaints against officers. The city announced Friday that Ombudsman Tim Burns can now receive complaints online. A new website includes forms residents can use to make a complaint, ask a question or make a suggestion, city spokeswoman Marlene Feist said in a news release. The site will also include Burns’ monthly reports to city leaders and his annual report. “I am working to reach out to Spokane’s citizens in a variety of ways,” Burns said in the release. “The new web site provides another avenue for people to be heard.” The City Council tabled discussion last month of a resolution designed to give Burns more authority. Currently, he can sit in during internal investigations and decide if those probes are “timely, thorough and objective.” He does not have the power to discipline officers or conduct his own investigations. Other than his monthly reports, the city has not made any of Burns’ investigation reviews public.