Jonathan Brunt

Law enforcement in Spokane County is about to enter a new era in which almost all interactions between officers and citizens will be recorded. It’s an era sparked in Spokane largely by concern over officer misconduct and a federal trial of an officer that ended in his prison sentence. Still, experts say recording will help police by gathering evidence and protecting them from false accusations.

Money from red-light camera tickets still must be used only on traffic safety projects. The Spokane City Council on Monday voted 4-1 to reject a proposal that would have removed restrictions on how red-light revenue is spent.

Read full statement from Air Force official on casino and Fairchild

Two years after opposing the proposed Spokane Tribe of Indians casino on the West Plains, the Spokane City Council on Monday switched its stance to neutral. Before public testimony, Council President Ben Stuckart read an email he received from former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Terry Yonkers. Yonkers served in the position from 2010 to 2013 and was involved in reviewing the casino proposal.

The Spokane City Council is debating whether to change the law to allow them to do what they’ve already authorized: spend red-light camera fines on projects unrelated to traffic safety. The council already approved a new funding breakdown of red-light camera money for 2014, but the city never changed the law that requires them to spend revenues beyond the cost to maintain the cameras only on traffic safety projects.

The Spokane City Council is poised to reconsider its opposition to the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ proposed Airway Heights casino. About two years ago, the council voted 4-3 to oppose the tribe’s proposed casino resort. The council now has a new make-up and Council President Ben Stuckart is pressing to shift the council back to neutral and mend the city’s relationship with the Spokane Tribe.

Much of what Gail Gerlach told police after he shot and killed a fleeing car thief can’t be used against him at trial, a judge ruled Friday.

A failed candidate for Spokane City Council who paid for a partial ballot recount last year is questioning the bill he received for that service. Former state Rep. John Ahern lost all but two of the 50 precincts in his race against incumbent City Councilman Jon Snyder. He requested that four precincts be recounted, not enough to change the outcome of the race.

Three more months of public debate, news conferences and negotiations have led to the Spokane City Council’s approval of a new police oversight law and union contract. After unanimously rejecting a proposed Spokane Police Guild contract in November, the council approved a five-year labor contract Monday in a 6-1 vote. It also unanimously approved a law governing police officer oversight.

The city of Spokane will pay the estate of a bicyclist $120,000 to settle a lawsuit that claims the city failed to maintain a safe intersection. Matthew Hardie, 32, had ridden down the steep, Lincoln Street hill leading into downtown on Oct. 4, 2010, when he collided with a van driven by Spokane County resident Todd Coron. Coron had stopped at the intersection of Lincoln and Fourth Avenue, just south of Interstate 90, and was proceeding through, witnesses said.

Two months after City Council members forced the withdrawal of a controversial nomination to the Spokane Airport Board, they will consider new rules requiring all city board appointees to live within city limits. In late November, Mayor David Condon informed the City Council that he was nominating Hoyt “Larry” Larison, former CEO of Columbia Paints and Coatings, to serve on the Spokane Airport Board.

Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub’s top candidate to be assistant police chief is an internal candidate. City Councilman Jon Snyder, the chairman of the city’s public safety committee, said Friday that Straub’s choice is Capt. Rick Dobrow. Dobrow started work as a police officer in Stockton, Calif. in 1982, according to a department newsletter. He joined the Spokane force in 1994. Dobrow was given the department’s purple heart award after a serious motorcycle crash in September 2006. Assistant Police Chief Craig Meidl informed Straub last week that he was stepping down and wanted to return to being a lieutenant.

City leaders appear ready to back a new labor contract for Spokane’s police officers. Spokane Police Guild leaders and Mayor David Condon agreed to a five-year labor contract Monday. The deal, which still must be approved by guild members and the City Council, was unveiled Tuesday for public scrutiny.

City leaders appear ready to back a new labor contract for the Spokane’s police union.