By Hannah Saunders

Earlier this summer, Seattle petitioned to completely cut the federal consent decree with the Department of Justice (DOJ) that was in place since 2012 over SPD’s excessive use of force and racist policing. And today, the termination was made, but activists argue that the department is far from being reformed.

“The Seattle Police Department is not a transformed institution, and ending the consent decree does not make today’s court decision the success the city claims it to be. Racial disparities remain, and use-of-force issues persist with SPD – including most recently when officers used excessive force on counter-protesters at an anti-LGBTQIA2S+ event this past spring,” Jazmyn Clark, smart justice policy program director for the ACLU of Washington, said in a statement.

A 2011 joint investigation conducted by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington found that SPD routinely practiced “unconsitutional policing” by using excessive force caused by “structural problems” and discriminatory tactics— breaking the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which relates to protections during law enforcement searches and seizures. 

By 2023, the motion to terminate the majority of consent decree requirements was granted, and the DOJ said the City of Seattle and SPD worked to complete these final requirements leading up to the complete termination. 

“The Seattle Police Department has worked over many years to develop and implement policies and procedures that have transformed the department into an example for other police forces,” Acting U.S. Attorney for the Court, Teal Luthy Miller, said. “Multiple Police Chiefs, city leaders, community stakeholders, and U.S. Attorneys have supported that effort. I commend the hard work that has led to the end of the consent decree.”  

SPD claims that over these past 13 years under the consent decree it has expanded training to include de-escalation, crisis intervention, and “cultural competency” for thousands of officers. It also noted it’s use of body-worn cameras, it’s publicly-presented data and efforts to engage through community meetings, and the CARE team as an alternative response to people who are generally experiencing mental and behavioral health crises. 

“While we embrace change and continue working towards becoming the best police department in the nation, we also understand that today’s ruling is just the beginning,” Chief Shon Barnes said. “Without the community’s support we wouldn’t have made it to this point and will continue to work with stakeholders as we all work to cement change as a bedrock principal of policing in Seattle.” 

But the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), which is SPD’s union representing line officers and sergeants, issued a statement in light of the Court’s decision that included remarks from President, Mike Solan. Solan is one of DivestSPD’s “Bad Apples,” and said Solan asserted that the January 6 insurrection was caused by the Black Lives Matter movement, and that Solan joked on radio about Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in 2023. SPD Officer Kevin Dave killed Kandula, a 23-year-old student, with his patrol car while driving above 60 mph in a 25 mph zone as she was in a crosswalk. Dave has since been fired. 

In SPOG’s statement regarding the consent decree, Solan said:

“The weaponized financial grift that is the [DOJ] Consent Decree process is finally over. It’s over for the cops, the citizens, but also for those who profited from this process. Seattle’s taxpayers no longer must bear the financial DOJ Consent Decree burden, now over 220-million-dollars. 

“With the Consent Decrees overly burdensome policy restrictions put onto Seattle’s police officers, these policies have had a detrimental impact on Seattle’s public safety. According to the latest FBI crime statistics, Seattle is now the 4th most dangerous city in the U.S. To be clear, SPOG supports DOJ Consent Decrees, but they must be reformed. We are excited that our national group UCOPS is leading the charge of reform with the DOJ Consent Decree process, and we are excited to be working with the DOJ Civil Rights Division to make the necessary reforms last.” 

But in Solan’s most recent episode of his Hold the Line podcast, he spoke with Washington D.C. police union chairman Gregg Pemberton about Trump’s takeover, who is in support of the weaponization of it’s metropolitan police. The pair spoke negatively about community members who are taking to the streets to exercise their First Amendment rights. 

 “It appears as if activists have taken over politics. And the regular citizen is not aware of that and it’s the activists that have ascended to power in these cities and then march towards putting leg that is so bad for their constituents–it’s mind-blowing,” Solan said. 

Solan said SPOG will “do their part” in Trump’s anti-crime initiatives in Seattle, and that SPOG’s national group (The United Coalition of Public Safety) will also support officers in D.C. to ensure Trump’s efforts aren’t “wasted.” Solan also mentioned how the D.C. takeover will be a guide for public safety in other cities.