Police ombudsman

An ordinance relating to the police oversight ordinance clarifying duty of independent reporting that does not infringe on collective bargaining rights, adopting a new section to the Spokane Municipal Code. Deferred from May 24, 2010, agenda.

Ordinance on the investigatory powers of the Office of the Police Ombudsman, introduced to the June 21, 2010, Spokane City Council agenda. This version amends a previous proposal held over from the May 24 City Council meeting and provides less expansive powers.

The Spokane City Council Monday night debated late into the evening about a plan giving the city's police ombudsman authority to conduct independent investigations into police misconduct.

SPD ombudsman wants investigatory power

Spokane’s police ombudsman has reversed his stance and is asking city leaders for the right to examine allegations of police misconduct independent of the Police Department’s own probes. When the topic was debated last year, some city leaders, including Mayor Mary Verner and City Council President Joe Shogan, had questioned the need to expand the ombudsman’s powers, in part, because Ombudsman Tim Burns wasn’t requesting it.

Memo delays council's ombudsman vote

For the record, I am all in favor of elevating our police ombudsman into something more than a Spokane Police Guild sock puppet. But do I think giving Tim Burns broader investigative powers is the solution to healing our troubled city law enforcement?

Two dozen people urged the Spokane City Council to let the city police ombudsman listen to someone other than police about police misconduct, but a confidential legal memo stood in the way Monday. Councilman Bob Apple was the lone opponent of an effort to delay for a month any decision on his proposal to let ombudsman Tim Burns conduct his own investigations into complaints of police misconduct.

A Show of hands if you will, please...

Council to consider SPD ombudsman boost

An effort to expand the powers of the city of Spokane’s police ombudsman may go before the City Council on Monday night. The proposed ordinance would allow Ombudsman Tim Burns to go beyond simply observing internal police probes and allow him to publish reports on those investigations – with a few exceptions – and contact the people who make complaints against police officers. He would also be allowed to interview witnesses of the incidents that led to complaints.

Proposed changes to the powers of the Spokane Office of the Police Ombudsman, dated May 6, 2010. Among other things, the changes would allow the ombudsman to initiate investigations and talk to the complainant and witnesses rather than just sitting in on internal investigations. The Spokane City Council will consider the changes at its May 24, 2010, meeting.

There’s been so much crazy cop news around here lately that it’s hard to keep track of the mayhem. So I designed today’s helpful quiz as a way to test your knowledge of local law enfarcement.

Police ombudsman submits first report

The first 18 of 19 internal investigations into police actions to be reviewed by Spokane’s police ombudsman have been labeled “timely, thorough and objective.” Spokane’s first police ombudsman, Tim Burns, released data about his first few months on the job this week as part of his annual report to City Council.

The first 18 of 19 internal investigations into police actions to be reviewed by Spokane’s police ombudsman have been labeled “timely, thorough and objective.”