Seattle police chief wants marijuana tickets dismissed

SEATTLE – Seattle police Chief Kathleen O’Toole has asked the city to seek dismissal of all citations issued by a bicycle officer who wrote 80 percent of the tickets during the first half of this year for using marijuana in public.

The request to the city attorney’s office stems from a conclusion that the 66 citations were written as part of a personal agenda on the part of Officer Randy Jokela, O’Toole said.

On many of the tickets, Jokela referred to City Attorney Pete Holmes, a supporter of legal marijuana, as “Petey Holmes.”

The tickets were written for the “wrong reasons,” O’Toole said.

In addition to the references to Holmes, Jokela wrote on one ticket that he used a coin toss to decide which of two men would get a ticket. On another he described state voter approval of marijuana legalization as “silly.”

O’Toole is still considering disciplinary action against Jokela and is awaiting findings on why she was not told about the officer’s actions before the department released a tainted report on marijuana enforcement.

O’Toole asked the city attorney to petition the Municipal Court to vacate and dismiss the tickets written by Jokela from Jan. 1 to July 30, Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, a department spokesman, said Friday.

O’Toole is taking the action based on facts that emerged during an internal investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Accountability, Whitcomb said.

Holmes will review O’Toole’s request and consult with Craig Sims, the chief of the criminal division, said Kimberly Mills, Holmes’ spokeswoman.