Spokane7
50°
June 22, 2010 in City
City Council delays vote on ombudsman request
Spokane City Council President Joe Shogan announced just after midnight today that there would not be a vote during the session about providing the ombudsman the power to conduct independent investigation.
The hearing didn’t start until nearly 11 p.m. But testimony continued. A couple dozen people talked, all in support of independent oversight.
The city hired its first ombudsman last summer, but rules haven’t allowed him to investigate allegations into police misconduct. Instead, he shadows police internal investigations and decides if the police have been thorough and fair.
In an interview last week, Ombudsman Tim Burns said he believes his office should have investigative authority. In a brief interview before the meeting, Mayor Mary Verner said she would wait to see the final version approved by the council before deciding if she would support giving the ombudsman investigative power. Verner said she hasn’t talked to Burns about his current opinion on the topic.
“I don’t know how much that (Burns’ opinion about the need for independent investigatory authority) reflects a need for a change in the ordinance,” Verner said.
The Spokane Police Guild, in an interview with Spokane Public Radio, has threatened to challenge any ordinance that expands the ombudsman’s authority. The most recent proposal under consideration would give Burns the power to begin interviewing witnesses as soon as a complaint is received. Burns would not have the power to interview guild members.
Man dies following early Saturday accident 
nancym on June 22 at 10:13 a.m.
Readers have posted comments on this story at Spin Control:
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol/2010/jun/22/shogan-says-council-will-delay-ombudsman-vote/
Ed Byrnes on June 22 at 10:37 a.m.
And here I thought Mary Verner was going to bring us change. Any citizen who has been terrorized by or lives in fear of the SPD, and who believes that our government should be transparent and not held hostage by special interest groups like the guild should keep this in mind when they complete their ballots in November.
The S-R would do a tremendous service to our community by reporting on our mayor and council members, specifically about their track records on police accountability, before our November elections.
Scoutster on June 22 at 11:38 a.m.
Let me think…Do I give a sh*t what the Guild thinks about this…
No.
philipgregory on June 22 at 12:03 p.m.
Not only does the ombudsman need more muscle, but the city (and county as well as state) needs to look at the increasing prevalence of abuse by police.
They can start by looking AT the police. Compare their appearance with 10 or 20 years ago. They look like storm-troopers. They look like they’re ready for war and they act like it. They no longer consider themselves ‘public servants’ ‘protectors of the community’ but occupiers of a rebellious and criminal populations.
Start by changing their uniforms back to something more civil and less SWAT.
mtorres55 on June 22 at 3:24 p.m.
The version of the ordinance before the council last night was one published about an hour before the council meeting, and most people were not even aware of its existence.
This new one, while it had some good wording, was filled with bright red flags that, while giving the ombudsman the power to interview witnesses before Internal Affairs, restricted his actions in major ways and did not mandate action on his part. Given that we have a 22-year police veteran as ombudsman right now, can we guess how many times he would choose to go forward when he could also do nothing? The track record to date isn’t confidence-inspiring.
It’s critical that the ombudsman be able to interview witnesses and victims BEFORE I.A. has a chance to intimidate witnesses into silence or false testimony, or twist their words, which is exactly what had happened in the Zehm case, Federal findings discovered.
The council has demonstrated that they now agree with the Community Coalition about the timing and necessity of early intervention.
I was shocked that two of the Council wanted to vote last night on that version that no one else had seen. Bad form. Bad form.
Thanks Joe Shogan for seeing that it was continued, and thanks Bob Apple for continuing to push for doing the right thing!
lewis8457 on June 22 at 9:27 p.m.
It will never happen. This only came up now because Thompson was going to be on trial soon, but now that his trial is postponed until March of 2011, this concern will slowly fade away.
They never planned on giving him the power plus it is not their decision it is the guilds. Verner could have pushed for investigative powers before she renewed the guilds contract last year but she never did because they never really intend to ever change the duties of the ombudsman. This towns leaders only look out for them selves.
Any one who truly believes the ombudsman wants investigative powers is in denial.