Spokane7
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November 3, 2011 in City
Conviction likely to bring changes at department
The conviction of Officer Karl Thompson could mean a significant shift in the running and politics of the Spokane Police Department, some city officials and police accountability advocates said after Wednesday’s verdict.
Jeffry Finer, a civil rights attorney who represents the family of Otto Zehm, said he hopes the jury’s decision would lead to serious police reform after years of failed efforts.
“It takes a conviction to change a culture,” Finer said. “This is the best opportunity I’ve ever seen.”
City leaders said they respected the verdict, even though City Hall officially has backed Thompson’s flawed version of events, and some said they expected it to force changes within the department.
“The police should realize that we’re going to have to change our policies in Spokane, and I hope that we do,” said Councilman Bob Apple. “I hope that the public will work with the city to clean up the practices and procedures that have been employed.”
Councilman Richard Rush said the outcome is another sign that the city must push for a police ombudsman with the authority to investigate police misconduct independently.
“It absolutely points out that we have the need for that independent oversight to address best practices,” he said.
Mayor Mary Verner promised a full review of how the city handled legal cases surrounding the fatal confrontation. Federal prosecutors have accused city attorneys of caring more about shielding the city from liability than pursuing the truth.
“This tragedy has torn us apart,” Verner said. “As we reach closure I hope that we’ll think first and foremost of the people whose lives were changed on that day in 2006 and that we will rally together as a community.”
After the verdict, Verner announced that Earl F. Martin, former dean of Gonzaga University Law School, will lead an independent review panel. The group won’t start work until after the lawsuit filed by the Zehm estate is resolved. The panel’s review is expected to take about six months. Beyond that, the specifics are still under consideration.
Thompson’s trial revealed a significant gulf between what the state’s top police tactics expert considers an appropriate use of force and what the department’s own training officers teach.
Those discrepancies will be reviewed, said Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.
“Right now, we’re just all trying to receive and deal with the verdict,” she said. “A lot of the questions you have will be questions that we will cross when we can regroup.”
Verner said many training policies already have been reformed by Kirkpatrick.
“It’s not the same police department today as it was in 2006,” said Verner, who noted that Zehm’s death occurred before she became mayor and Kirkpatrick became chief. She added that training likely will be considered by the review panel.
Breean Beggs, who along with Finer represents the Zehm family, said it would be a big step if it turns out that the city already has changed training policies in a way that would have prevented a confrontation like the one that resulted in Zehm’s death. But Beggs said he is unaware of such a change and noted it was only last week that Officer Terry Preuninger testified that Thompson responded properly.
“And he didn’t qualify that by saying, ‘That was under the old policy.’ ”
Before the civil lawsuit was put on hold in the fall of 2009, the city vigorously defended Thompson, even telling Zehm’s family in 2009 that Thompson violated no police procedures and that Zehm was responsible for his own death. At the time, however, Assistant Chief Jim Nicks already had told federal investigators that he believed otherwise.
Kirkpatrick earned a reputation among political leaders as a reformer who held officers to higher standards. In February 2009, Verner and Kirkpatrick said in interviews that based on what they knew of the case Thompson hadn’t violated the law. Kirkpatrick said Thompson had her “unequivocal support.”
In August of this year, however, the prosecution filed a sworn statement from Nicks that said he believed Thompson violated the department’s policies and procedures in the Zehm confrontation. That same statement originally said Kirkpatrick “concurs with the assessment that unnecessary and unreasonable force” was used by Thompson. But that statement later was removed.
Kirkpatrick said Wednesday her assessment was cut from Nicks’ statement because she is not a use-of-force expert.
She declined to give her assessment of Thompson’s actions because “it does not lead us to healing.” When pressed, she noted that Nicks changed his opinion when learning more information about the case.
“Investigations are for getting the truth, and information that you may not have had here, but you get … later in an investigation, people of integrity will stand up and say, ‘Hey, I have to change my position,’ ” Kirkpatrick said. “And isn’t that what we want?”
Closing Geiger: Wise or worrisome? 
greenlibertarian on November 03 at 12:56 a.m.
This is a joke, right?
greenlibertarian on November 03 at 1:02 a.m.
And now the story is “Premium” behind the print/pay-wall, which is a joke in and of itself?
The citizens deserve better, if you don’t mind…
Dolts.
Lewis on November 03 at 7:44 a.m.
who wants to bet it is back to business today and not one damn thing will change?
DickAdams on November 03 at 7:55 a.m.
I would not bet a wooden nickle. The liars must be removed first, starting with Mayor Verner.
another_perspective on November 03 at 8:06 a.m.
Changes to the department?
Just this week an SPD officer was NOT investigated for failure to provide his badge number. Just this week Internal Affairs admitted the Officer broke the rules. Just this week Internal Affairs REFUSED to hold that officer accountable.
You know the one. Officer Doughnut Happy who snoozes at the back of the City Council meetings until its time to take George McGrath out of the building.
OInk Oink. Wink Wink.
CA_target on November 03 at 8:22 a.m.
The answer, the ‘key’ that will once and for all ‘break the code’ is the ‘truth’.
Plain and simple.
Body cameras AND polygraph programs. Not only on hire, but every 5yrs and for internal affairs investigations. If officers knew this investigative tool was in place, maybe they would think twice before breaking the very laws they are sworn to uphold.
If the local level can’t or won’t see that corruption on any level has become our world’s biggest security threat, then the federal level should step in and change policies and laws for them.
DHS expanding polygraph program to fight corruption of CBP agents. http://t.co/fMENr6o
arroyoribera on November 03 at 2:10 p.m.
(I posted this elsewhere but am posting it again here based on the topic of the article).
It is time for the S-R and others to stop describing the crime as Otto Zehm being “beaten by police, shocked with Tasers and left hog-tied”. Two Spokane Police Officers also put their weight on his back while he was hot-tied and on his belly. This case, in addition to being a crime committed by more than one Spokane Police Officer, is a gross civil and human rights abuse indicative of the conduct of police forces across the United States. This is a great day for Otto Zehm and the people of Spokane but it is, as the article indicates, only a new starting point for the battle to bring accountability to a Spokane Police Department with a long and extensive history of corrupt and abusive conduct, as well as unjustified use of force.
Word to the officers of the Spokane Police Department: Some commentators and community members are willing to reflexively repeat ad nauseum the mantra that “there are many good officers on the force”. However many believe that as long as you tolerate this culture of corruption and abuse within your force as well as an intransigent and arrogant Guild (often led by some of your least credible members), you will be correctly and appropriately tarred with the same brush. Many of us will park or turn a corner to avoid any contact whatsoever with you. Many will let a minor offense go unreported so as to keep you out of our neighborhood shootings bullets into our neighbor kids and houses.
And word to all: Time to get rid of Mr. Treppiedi NOW. Out of the prosecutor’s office and off the school board. Regardless of what information he might hold on what people in City Hall or in the rest of Spokane area government, it is time for him to walk into the remainder of his future without a taxpayer check and to end his reign of terror, blackmail and deception within Spokane city politics.
This is not the end of anything. This is the beginning.
(By the way, despite being as much a critic of the SPD as I have of the S-R over the years, I must thank and commend the S-R for the extensive coverage of the Otto Zehm case as well as other cases of police abuses and civil rights abuses in Spokane city and county.)
David Brookbank
http://spokanepoliceabuses.wordpress.com/abuse-laying-out-the-case/