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Seattle City Council Approves Controversial Police Contract Following Contentious Meeting

A man who was protesting with groups in opposition to a rally held by Patriot Prayer and other groups supporting gun rights is arrested by Seattle Police officers during the rally, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, near City Hall in Seattle.
Ted Warren
/
AP
A man who was protesting with groups in opposition to a rally held by Patriot Prayer and other groups supporting gun rights is arrested by Seattle Police officers during the rally, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, near City Hall in Seattle.

UPDATE, 5:10 p.m. Tuesday: The Seattle City Council voted 8-1 to approve the new police contract, following a contentious meeting with a packed council chambers. 

Councilmember Kshama Sawant was the lone opponent. She announced well before the vote that she would reject the proposal.

"This agreement allows us to move forward with a level of certainty that will put the Seattle Police Department and Chief Carmen Best in the best position to improve public safety, hire and deploy more patrol officers, and advance police reforms," said Council President Bruce Harrell, chair of the Labor Relations and Policy Committee. "Most importantly, the new contract ensures full implementation of body worn cameras by front-line police officers. I believe this is the ultimate tool for police accountability, public safety, and as a training tool to improve policing performance." 

Former mayoral candidate Nikkita Oliver says she supports the collective bargaining process, but not its result. "This contract flies in the face of the work that communities have been doing for years to acheive police accountability," Oliver said. "Voting for this contract will dismantle the work that we've been doing for years." 

Councilmember Lisa Herbold said she would vote for the contract "regretfully" to help shore up staffing.

A judge is expected to rule soon on whether the terms of the contract satisfy the federal consent decree that applies to the police department. 

ORIGINAL POST: The Seattle City Council votes today on a new contract for police officers, who haven't received pay increases since their previous contract expired four years ago. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is advocating for approval of the proposal, which includes a boost in pay retroactive to 2015. But it's facing pushback ahead of the decision. 

The controversy centers on the contract's provisions dealing with police accountability. The Community Police Commission is urging council members to vote against the proposal; the group says it gives up some important reforms.

 
The latter is key, since the Seattle Police Department has been operating under a court order to improve law enforcement tactics. The ruling came after the federal Department of Justice found evidence of biased policing and excessive use of force by SPD officers.
 

U.S. District Court Judge James Robart, who has been overseeing the court order, says he'll consider whether the contract follows the "spirit and purpose" of the order.

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.
Kari Plog is a former KNKX reporter who covered the people and systems in Pierce, Thurston and Kitsap counties, with an emphasis on police accountability.