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cost projection “simply wrong” in a written
statement. Prosecutors invited McGinn to
bring any concerns to their attention and
said they remain optimistic they can reach
an agreement with the mayor.
“Constitutional policing does not inhibit
or hamstring the police,” U.S. Attorney
Jenny Durkan said. “The city of Seattle and
the police who do their jobs can’t afford for
us not to fix the problems. On every front,
the cost is too high, for everybody.”
The city’s counterproposal to the DOJ
would require no more than $5 million per
pects.
Surveillance cameras and police-cruiser
videos captured officers beating civilians,
including stomping on a prone Latino man
who was mistakenly thought to be a rob-
bery suspect, and an officer kicking a non-
resisting black youth in a convenience
store.
In December, a DOJ report found officers
are too quick to reach for weapons, such as
batons and flashlights, even when arresting
people for minor offenses.
In all, the report found, one out of every
five times an officer used force, it
was used unconstitutionally. The
department failed to adequately
review the use of force and lacked
policies and training related to the
use of force, it said.
Five weeks ago, prosecutors sent
the city a confidential settlement
proposal.
In the meantime, the mayor and
the police chief have proposed a
series of initiatives called “20/20,” includ-
ing training to ensure that officers don’t
arrest or confront people based on race and
training to prevent low-level offenses from
escalating.
Though the DOJ’s proposal has not been
disclosed, the budget office memo suggests
some of the changes the DOJ wants.
The memo relies on assumptions made by
the Police Department that to satisfy the
DOJ’s demands for a better sergeant-to-
patrol officer ratio, the city would have to
add 54 new sergeants at a cost of $7.3 mil-
On Monday, McGinn said
for the first time that, in
principle, he would agree
to a monitor and a court-
enforced settlement
year, according to a confidential city budget
office memo obtained by The Associated
Press.
Seattle is facing a projected budget deficit
of $32 million over the next two years.
“We hear the concerns DOJ is raising,”
McGinn said. “My hope is DOJ can hear the
concerns we’re raising.”
The Justice Department launched its for-
mal civil rights investigation early last year,
following the fatal shooting of a homeless,
Native American woodcarver and other
incidents of force used against minority sus-
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
continued from page 1
Madeleine, 6 ½, takes the new bike she got at Bike Work’s 16th Annual Bike
Swap, on a test ride. Behind her is Sanne, 4 ½, learning to ride for the first
time. The event gives families an opportunity to trade in bikes their children
have out grown for a newly refurbished bike that fits them. Hundreds of
people attended this years event which included free helmets provided by
Seattle Children’s Hospital, music, food and other fun bike related
activities.
lion.
In addition, the memo said the Police
Department estimated that the DOJ’s rec-
ommendations would require four times as
much training - 160 hours per year - as offi-
cers currently receive. Executive Assistant
U.S. attorney Thomas Bates described that
assumption Monday as vastly overstated:
“They just got it wrong.”
The memo said that the additional training
could cost $18 million if it requires other
officers to fill in - on overtime - for those
receiving training. However, the mayor’s
“20/20” plan also includes increased train-
ing in many of the same topics the Justice
Department is concerned about - and the
Police Department has represented to
McGinn that it can accomplish everything
in the “20/20” plan under its existing budg-
et.
The memo notes that the budget office
had not yet vetted the assumptions being
made by the Police Department, and that
even if the actual costs are far less than $41
million, the hit to the budget could still be
significant.
In his radio interview, McGinn said
“absolutely” when asked if the reforms
would hamstring police and the mayor’s
office in responding to emergency situa-
tions. He suggested the outside monitor
could effectively be a “shadow mayor.”
City Councilman Tim Burgess disputed
the notion.
“That is not a legitimate fear,” Burgess
said. “I’m disappointed in the mayor’s
recent statements on this topic have been
more designed to divide rather than keep us
on the same page headed toward good solu-
tions.”
Josh Chanin, a San Diego State Universi-
ty professor who has studied the DOJ’s
efforts to reform police departments, said
such monitors are essential to the process
because they demonstrated to the public that
the changes are actually taking hold.
They can also ensure reforms last beyond
the terms of the current mayor, police chief
or U.S. attorney.
“This is the most effective, most straight-
forward way to get to the point where the
department is operating constitutionally and
regains the respect and legitimacy it needs
to manage law and order,” Chanin said.
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Page 4 The Seattle Skanner May 16, 2012