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October 19, 2010 in City
Legislative panel mulls officer-involved gunfire
State or local inquests are among the ideas
OLYMPIA – A year after searching for ways to reduce the deaths of police officers in the line of duty, the Legislature is looking for ways to reduce the deaths of civilians by police officers.
The state Senate Judiciary Committee was told Monday that officer-involved shootings could be reduced with more training, new equipment or more familiarity with the community. When those shootings occur, cities and towns might use public inquests rather than investigations by other law enforcement agencies to determine what happened.
Committee Chairman Adam Kline, D-Seattle, said Washington has seen 13 cases of police force against individuals in the last six months. The committee was looking for ways to reduce future incidents without deciding “who’s a good guy and who’s a bad guy.”
Ten years ago, after a controversial shooting in Seattle, police departments began issuing Tasers, Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said. But they, too, have critics nationally and locally.
“My community in Spokane does not understand why we’re using Tasers,” Kirkpatrick said. “We don’t want to jump before we know what we have.”
Spokane and many other Washington cities use a team approach to investigate officer-involved shootings, she said. In Spokane, that means city police investigate county sheriff’s deputy shootings and vice versa; on the West Side, nearby cities have similar agreements.
But other witnesses suggested the state set up its own inquest board, or give cities and counties the power to hold inquests. “Let’s level the playing field so the public can have everything,” Robert Jackson of Seattle said.
Sen. Mike Carroll, R-Lakewood, said four officers were killed in his district last year and he’d be reluctant to pass any laws that would cause police to pause “one second longer than they should” because it could lead to more officer deaths.
“We’ve got to be very careful that we are not overdoing to the point of making officers in mortal danger of their lives by hesitating when they shouldn’t be,” Carroll said.
But Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Wells, D-Seattle, noted the controversy in that city involving the shooting of John Williams, a Native American wood carver who was holding a knife and a piece of wood: “In that context, I’m not sure that there shouldn’t have been a little more hesitation on the part of the officers.”
Attention to officer-involved shootings in next year’s session should be exactly the same as the attention to slain officers in the last session, Kline said. Both represent tragic losses, he said.
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liarsinnews on October 19 at 9:45 a.m.
Chief Kirkpatrick says, “We don’t want to jump before we know what we have.” Is she referring to the poor soul that was tasered on the Monroe street bridge and fell to his death? Of course, just before saying that, the Chief makes a blanket statement that the citizens of Spokane just don`t understand. I wonder if she thinks Spokane is a village of idiots?
horse_feathers on October 19 at 10:24 a.m.
Dick,
I was thinking exactly that when I read the story.
Ed Byrnes on October 19 at 5:06 p.m.
Public inquests are a solid way to increase law enforcement accountability through maximized transparency. Write to the individual members of the WA Senate Judiciary Committee urging them to support this approach, I certainly am.
BTW yes, Chief Kirkpatrick and the cops all treat us as if we cannot think critically which is why they always wrap themselves in blankets of “you don’t understand” or some vague threat to our collective safety.
Another thing cops say is “if you have nothing to hide let us look.” Well now it’s us citizens wanting to look so we will see where law enforcement integrity is in response.
BitofBacon on October 19 at 6:13 p.m.
ebyrnes-In spite of all your alleged experience of working with law enforcement, I will say that you don’t understand and you never will. I don’t understand your way of thinking either, and that’s probably a good thing.
Ed Byrnes on October 21 at 12:38 a.m.
BitofBacon:
Having lived in and worked with law enforcement agencies, and in corrections, in municipalities with direct citizen review of officer use of lethal or potentially lethal force I have first hand knowledge, from citizens, officers and law enforcement leaders, that a more trusting relationship between local law enforcement agencies and the citizens is the result.
If you have never lived or worked in a municipality with this level of transparency and concomitant accountability I respectfully suggest that there are things that you do not understand.
To clarify my thinking for you: Professionals are accountable to those that they serve and clearly understand the pivotal role that transparency plays in their accountability.
I would assume that you would concur, though understandably yet regrettably not publicly, that there is a professionalism problem with some members of our local law enforcement agencies. I would also assume that you know first hand that when the citizens mistrust their local law enforcement officers the officers’ jobs become far more difficult.
Assuming you are a local enforcement officer or deputy who do you side with, us citizens or the small proportion of your colleagues who are dangerously unprofessional in their conduct?
If it appears that I am siding with my fellow citizens in this ongoing debate about how to best heal the widening chasm between law enforcement and us citizens in our community your assessment is completely accurate.