Spokane police watchdog reappointed, details jump in internal complaints
Last night was a big one for Tim Burns, the Spokane Police ombudsman.
He was reappointed for another one-year term, setting him off on his fifth year as the civilian watchdog for Spokane police. Burns was appointed for a three-year term in 2009 by then-Mayor Mary Verner. His one year extension last night came from Mayor David Condon and a unanimous vote by the City Council.
Burns also unveiled his 2013 mid-year report, which contained some surprising numbers.
First, of the 142 complaints against the department in the first six months of the year, 75 were classified as formal. Of those 75, 15 came from within the department. This is a huge jump when compared to the same time period last year, when just three complaints were internally generated, of 46 total complaints.
Burns told the City Council the increase was notable, but he was unable to say what might be driving the change.
Burns also noted a decrease in taser use by police, which happened 14 times in 11 incidents this year. In the first six months of 2012, a taser was used 25 times in 21 incidents.
Finally, Burns said he was concerned by the increase in SWAT activations. In the first half of 2012, SWAT was called out 21 times. This year, it happened 29 times.
Check out the whole report on the ombudsman's website, or read it here.