A group of Black-led organizations and individuals in Pierce County are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Tacoma Police Department for excessive force and discriminatory policing.
“Today marks a pivotal moment in Tacoma history,” said local pastor and member of The Black Collective in Tacoma, Lawrence White. “This request comes not from a place of anger but from a place of deep love for our city and the belief that we can do better.”
The coalition includes the Collective, the NAACP, the Urban League, Tacoma Ceasefire, and more, including several individuals. More than 100 people and organizations have signed on to a letter supporting the request.
At a news conference, White cited a 2022 analysis by the Tacoma News Tribune that showed officers used force against Black people at about five times the rate they do against white people.
“These aren't just statistics. Each number represents a community member, a family, a life impacted by the systemic issues,” White said.
The coalition is requesting a "pattern-or-practice" investigation into TPD, which is a federal civil rights investigation into patterns of misconduct at a police department. If granted, this type of investigation may involve interviewing community members about their experiences with TPD.
White said they want more people to come forward to share their stories and sign the letter.
“We need your collective voice. This is not just a coalition issue. This is a community issue.”
White pointed to the acquittal of the three officers who killed Manuel Ellis and their subsequent payout of a combined $1.5 million as another example of how local efforts to hold officers accountable have failed.
White said the request is not targeted toward any individual officer and that the coalition will continue to work with Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore. The coalition said it has worked with the city, the police department, the police union, and the Community Police Advisory Committee to address these issues to no avail.
“There is history here of what we're dealing with. The history of policing and accountability of policing in the city has been a challenge, trying to work through new language, revised language, better language that has been authored along with Local 6 [the police union],” said White. “The language that has been in place has not provided neither accountability nor responsibility for their policing or the lack thereof.”
The Tacoma Police Department did not respond to KNKX’s request for comment.
KNKX reached out to U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman’s office and the office did not provide any additional comment other than saying a request like this would also have to be reviewed by the Civil Rights Division in Washington D.C.
In January, the U.S. Justice Department opened an investigation into Washington state’s case against the three Tacoma officers who killed Manuel Ellis. The DOJ is reviewing the case to determine whether any of the officers violated federal law.
When the review was announced, a coalition including Ellis’ family members, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Alaska Oregon Washington State Area Conference of the NAACP called for the DOJ to seek a consent-decree or court-ordered settlement for reform, with the Tacoma Police Department.
Gorman’s office said that the review is ongoing.
