Spokane names candidates to investigate police, city officials

Two former prosecutors and a former assistant police chief have been recommended to serve as an independent investigator to look into recent turmoil in the Spokane Police Department and City Hall.

A committee that includes councilwoman Karen Stratton, city council policy advisor Brian McClatchey, private attorney Laura McAloon and city utility director Rick Romero interviewed six candidates for the position.

The independent investigator will be asked to look at the process, policy and timelines related to sexual harassment and recent personnel moves involving the police department and the release of public records surrounding those personnel moves.

City Hall has been engulfed by the problems in the aftermath of the forced resignation of police Chief Frank Straub. He had been accused of sexually harassing his spokeswoman, Monique Cotton, and of launching into tirades that some of his top administrators said crossed the line to abusive management.

Straub has since filed a $4 million claim against the city accusing Mayor David Condon, who knew of the sexual harassment allegations against Straub since last spring, of violating due process in the leadership shake-up this fall.

The candidates are Kris Cappel, a principal in the Seattle investigation consulting firm the Seabold Group and a former federal prosecutor; Janice Corbin, a former assistant chief in charge of human resources at the Seattle Police Department and currently a partner with Sound Employment Solutions; and Robert Westinghouse, an attorney with the Seattle law firm Yarmuth Wilsdon PLLC and former federal prosecutor.

Westinghouse was just named by Gov. Jay Inslee as the person in charge of the investigation into a glitch that allowed more than 3,200 inmates to be released early from state prisons.

When he was criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Western Washington in 2008, Westinghouse participated in the investigation into the River Park Square mall and parking garage. The mall is owned by the Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

The mayor and City Council will review the recommendations. An independent investigator could be approved by the council as soon as its next meeting on Jan. 4.