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May 27, 2010 in Opinion
Editorial: Guild blocks opportunity to enhance police trust
The Spokane Police Guild joined the “Make a Splash” campaign this week by donating $250 to help cover swimming fees for children at the city’s pools. That’s a nice gesture of community outreach, but the union could make a bigger splash by agreeing to more credible oversight of the Police Department.
The City Council is considering ideas for expanding the powers of the police ombudsman to allow independent investigations. Currently, the ombudsman, Tim Burns, reviews police reports but cannot conduct his own inquiries. In April, Burns issued his first report, which showed that 18 out of 19 cases he examined were “timely, thorough and objective.” No details of these reviews have been released.
This watered-down version of police oversight is the product of bargaining with the police union, but it doesn’t produce enough information to judge the actions of the Police Department or the ombudsman. It certainly hasn’t helped improve the image of the department.
At Monday night’s City Council meeting, several people spoke to the perception that the new job isn’t worth the time or money, because the ombudsman is handcuffed by the ordinance. City Councilman Bob Apple took a run at an ordinance that would expand the ombudsman’s powers and enhance his independence, but the fear of a guild lawsuit put that effort on hold. Other council members are interested in a stronger ordinance and have given themselves a month to produce one.
The frustration of many citizens is that the city attorney’s office has been inclined to find ways to say no rather than work on solutions desired by the council. Clearly, the city’s legal staff is afraid of a union lawsuit. And because of the 2009 negotiations that produced the current ordinance, the city may be wedded to that until the next bargaining round.
The guild would be doing itself and the city a big favor if it signaled a willingness to strengthen the oversight ordinance immediately. The horror stories of police misconduct that were aired Monday night were powerful, yet one-sided. This hurts the reputation of the department, because there isn’t an independent arbiter with broad enough powers to issue credible exonerating reports.
Rather than embrace this positive role for an ombudsman, the union has fended it off. The message that sends to the public is that an independent airing of police business would be even more damaging.
Whether the city can make progress next month or beyond, it must keep trying. The public isn’t buying the current system, and with good reason.
To respond online, click on Opinion under the Topics menu at www.spokesman.com.
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ChefGus/ John Olsen on May 27 at 5:18 a.m.
Good Morning…thank you for entering the fray with regards the toothless police oversight in our city. The “one sided” stories on Monday night moved me to get up off my sofa, at the end of a 14 hour day cooking for the low income and homeless in our city to go down and offer my testimony as well.
The stories you hear were but the very very sharp tip of the Iceberg of police actions in this city that make the “Community of Other” fearful every day of their lives. In my 30 years of volunteer time I have heard hundreds of credible stories from people about “over policing”. In Spokane I hear two or three stories a week, from the clients at Shalom, the House of Charity and Odyssey Youth center.
What you heard Monday night was telling and true. The only way to fix the problem is to have a competent Prosecutor step into the fray and press charges against people for abuse and over use of force, and those charges could best be brought forth by an independent Ombudsman serving the people rather than the status quo. When the “rogue” police, which feel like they are Ubiquitous … are put in jail for breaking the law the culture of over use of foce will change.
Mr Levy who jumped off of the Monroe Bridge could easily have been talked down from his perch with an offer of a cheese burger and a hug… any competent crisis line person could have intervened in a more humane way… instead he was tasered, with a mis fire by a swat team that did not have a clue about mentally ill people that I spend time with every day.
The “body” of this Iceberg that is below the surface goes very deep and it would do us well in this time to melt it and make it go away.
Changing Prosecutor’s would be a better and bigger step in that direction. Dr John A Olsen Spokane
liarsinnews on May 27 at 7:31 a.m.
Doc, you forgot to mention the police chief called the shot to taser the poor soul.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on May 27 at 7:55 a.m.
did not get that piece..
Of interest and likely germaine is that yesterday evening I was settled in to watch the “Repeat” of the entire city council meeting… and smack in the middle of Marianne Torres’s testimony at 7:56 the screen went to Opera Music and the scrolling of the events for the city the next day..
Feels pretty icky and like there was someone who did not want the citizens to see the information imparted by all of those brave witness’s…. I put a letter in to the city council this morning..called Council President Shogan last nite at the time of the occurence and i DO expect a response for how and why this not too subtle Editorializing took place…:)) I have heard back from Councilman Snyder saying he was going to look into it…. i’ll let you all know what i hear.. best dr john
ChefGus/ John Olsen on May 27 at 10:19 a.m.
I did get a nice reply from Ms Feist from the City… and her explanation was that the “server failed”… seems plausible… and likely is true… but the perception remains, particularly when this is such a volatile issue, and control of the media is such an issue in this Inland Basin. I was thankful for her timely response..john
Ron_the_Cop on May 27 at 10:23 a.m.
I actually concur with today’s S-R’s OP/ED. In reply to a comment in S-R Craig’s article on the Council meeting:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/may/25/council-delays-oversight-decision/#c155765
I had these thoughts and expanded them here.
I concur with your assessment of the City Attorney’s Office. Who runs this City anyway? The Council is the chief policy maker and can decide what to make public or not. City Council members shouldn’t be cowered by the City Attorney’s Office. There was really no reason for the secrecy of this legal advice. I have no confidence in the City Attorney’s Office for many past stunts like this. I have filed a PDR to make this memo public:
http://tinyurl.com/39xxltq
In short I would have passed the ordinance and then let the Guild sue. It will be cheaper in the long run if another critical incident can be prevented by better management oversight by the Police Command Staff. Trust me I’m very sympathetic to the interests of the Guild and do not say this lightly. In my opinion the Guild does have some legitimate issues with Chief Kirkpatrick but this got lost in the noise with the media spin on their vote of no confidence. There are many fine men and woman at SPD that deserve much better.
Speaking as a former police union president, the Guild’s public image is in the toilet right now. I wouldn’t press a lawsuit now. The grounds for a suit against Apple’s ordinance are tenuous at best re being a meet and confer issue. Apple’s ordinance is crafted such that it doesn’t give the Ombudsman (OPO) specific disciplinary power against any officer but to speak in general terms re police policy, procedure and training in need of change from the OPO’s investigation of a critical incident/complaint.
I would be more willing to negotiate for an enhanced ordinance that would be palatable to my members. I’m aware the Guild is protecting its members from some future ombudsman/chief that doesn’t have the personal integrity that Mr. Burns does. This is especially true when hypothetically there is a vindictive chief that tries to railroad union members so these ordinances must be crafted very carefully. I’ve been in this position.
I spoke in favor of the proposed ordinance at the Council Meeting. You can read my prepared statement here:
Ron the Cop addresses Spokane City Council on Police Ombudsman Ordinance
http://tinyurl.com/2enq3em
Ron_the_Cop on May 29 at 10:30 a.m.
OK I now have a full copy of Larry Shook’s interview on Fagan’s/McGrath’s radio show on KTW 630 AM, “The RIGHT Spokane Perspective.” Listen here as to why the Zehm/Pete cases are only symptomatic of much more deeply rooted issues that must be addressed first before there can be any meaningful change in Spokane PD:
Link to audio file:
http://tootiny.net/oa48ij
Ron_the_Cop on June 01 at 4:49 a.m.
Part II of Larry Shook’s interview:
http://tootiny.net/03jm8t
Ron_the_Cop on June 03 at 11:17 p.m.
Tim Connor has this rather pithy piece up at the Center for Justice re the latest stunt by the City Attorney’s Office:
Madmen
Published on June 1, 2010
How Spokane’s legal department painted the city into an absurd and dangerous corner in the debate over civilian police oversight.
http://cforjustice.org/2010/06/01/madmen/
BTW all four segments of Shook’s interview on KTW have aired:
Part I
http://tootiny.net/uicq2r
Part II
http://tootiny.net/03jm8t
Part III
http://tootiny.net/608vyy
Part IV
http://tootiny.net/my77uz