In brief: Kirkpatrick unlikely to be reconsidered
It doesn’t appear the e-mail Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick sent to Seattle’s mayor this week had any effect on the ongoing search for a new police chief in the Emerald City.
Aaron Pickus, assistant communication director for Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, confirmed that Kirkpatrick sent McGinn an e-mail after Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel pulled out as one of three candidates for Seattle police chief.
Kirkpatrick had been one of 11 finalists but was not among the final three with Braziel, Seattle Interim Chief Jon Diaz, and Ron Davis, who is the chief of police in East Palo Alto, Calif.
Pickus said he could not disclose what Kirkpatrick wrote “because it’s a personnel related decision.”
Asked if Kirkpatrick is back in the race, Pickus replied: “There are two strong candidates.”
Police ombudsman website available
Spokane’s police ombudsman has a new tool to make it easier for people to file complaints against officers.
The city announced Friday that Ombudsman Tim Burns can now receive complaints at www.spdombudsman.org.
That site includes forms residents can use to make a complaint, ask a question or make a suggestion, city spokeswoman Marlene Feist said in a news release.
The site will also include Burns’ monthly and annual reports.
The Spokane City Council tabled discussion last month of a resolution designed to give Burns more authority. Currently, he can sit in during internal investigations and decide if those probes are “timely, thorough and objective.” He cannot discipline officers or conduct his own investigations.
Other than his monthly reports, the city has not made any of Burns’ investigation reviews public.
Pride Parade at noon today downtown
The 19th annual Pride Parade and Rainbow Festival will wind its way through the streets of downtown today beginning at noon.
The event promotes equality and diversity through government and public awareness for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning community.
The parade ends with a festival and business fair in Gondola Meadows at Riverfront Park. The event is free and open to the public.
Coordinated by OutSpokane, the event inspires GLBTs to “come out” to their parents, co-workers, and themselves, according to a news release.
Patrols will watch
for pets in hot cars
With temperatures expected to heat up this weekend, Spokane Regional Animal Protection Services (SCRAPS) will be conducting an emphasis patrol looking for pets left in hot vehicles.
Anyone leaving their pet in a vehicle during warm weather may be charged and fined with unsafe confinement, a misdemeanor. Pet owners could also be charged with animal cruelty, a felony, depending on the severity of the case. Warnings will not be given, but citations for violations will, said Nancy Hill, SCRAPS director.
Anyone who sees an animal left in a car should call SCRAPS at (509) 477-2533 or SpokAnimal at (509) 534-8133 immediately.
Hikers sought for 1910 fire commemoration
Applications are being accepted for an Aug. 14 hike that retraces the route that assistant Forest Service ranger Ed Pulaski and his crew took to find shelter in a mine shaft during the 1910 fires.
Forty-five volunteers are needed for the hike, which will be videotaped. The strenuous, seven-mile hike traverses terrain from above Lake Elsie down the Pulaski Tunnel Trail to Wallace.
The hike is sponsored by the 1910 Fire Commemoration Committee.
Applications are available online at www.firecoop.org.