police

Inslee Signs Law Allowing Fictitious Driver License Program To Continue

Austin Jenkins — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:22:05 +0000

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has signed a law that will allow the state’s fictitious driver license program to continue – but only for undercover law enforcement activities. At the bill signing Inslee backed away from a previous statement that he would apply a broad definition of the term “law enforcement.”

Under the old program, the Central Intelligence Agency obtained 288 of these so-called confidential driver’s licenses from Washington’s Department of Licensing.

Wash. Supreme Court Considers SPD Dash-Cam Video Policy

Liz Jones — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:45:23 +0000

Washington Supreme Court Justices heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case that spotlights the Seattle Police Department’s policy regarding public access to dash-camera video footage. The lawsuit, brought by KOMO News against SPD, comes at a time when the police force faces heightened scrutiny about transparency and public accountability.

If Calling 911 Is So Easy, Why Are People Doing It Wrong?

The Conversation With Ross Reynolds — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:11:14 +0000

A new public service announcement by the state’s Emergency Management Division urges you to always “know your location” just in case you have to call 911. Emergency dispatchers say they often get calls from people who can’t describe where they are or even how to get there. With 70 percent of 911 calls coming from cell phones, it’s much harder for operators to pinpoint a specific location.

Seattle Police Using Data-Driven Program To Prevent Property Crime

Patricia Murphy — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:42:51 +0000

The Seattle Police Department is using a new software program designed to help predict where crimes are most likely to occur in the city.

Puff, Puff, Pass A Sobriety Check? The Science Of Marijuana Intoxication

David Hyde — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:17:00 +0000

State toxicologist Fiona Couper recently stated that violations for driving under the influence of marijuana have not gone up since the passage of Initiative-502. But marijuana legalization is still in its early stages and to be charged with a DUI the driver has to get caught with 5 nanograms per milliliter of active THC in their bloodstream. David Hyde talks with Dr. Marilyn Huestis from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and tries to make sense of the science of marijuana intoxication.

Seattle's Gift Cards-For-Guns Event Sells Out

Allie Ferguson — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:20:00 +0000

Hundreds of people came out on a chilly Saturday morning to exchange their guns for $100 and $200 Amazon.com gift cards in the first guy buyback event held in Seattle in 20 years. People stood in line holding rifles in camouflage cases and shot guns wrapped in blankets among other things. Traffic clogged up city streets near the parking lot where the event took place.

Cars Caught Speeding On Camera Now Get $189 Tickets

Phyllis Fletcher — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:08:49 +0000

Starting Monday, drivers who speed past any of four Seattle schools will get tickets in the mail. Vehicles that go more than 20 miles per hour when school is in session are caught on camera.

The four schools with speed cameras are Thurgood Marshall Elementary on the I-90 lid, Gatewood Elementary in West Seattle, and Olympic View Elementary and Broadview Thomson K-8 in the north end.

Three Years Later, Former Officer Recalls Lakewood Shootings

Austin Jenkins — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:17:50 +0000

Three years ago this Thanksgiving weekend, an Arkansas parolee named Maurice Clemmons shot and killed four Lakewood police officers in a coffee shop. Chris Sorrells was one of the first officers at the scene. In the years since, his life has changed dramatically.

Chris Sorrells is probably alive today because of a twist of fate. He says he would have been at coffee that morning with his fellow officers.

Seattle Police Monitor Merrick Bobb On DOJ Reforms

Steve Scher — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:00:00 +0000

We talk with Merrick Bobb, Seattle's new federally appointed independent police monitor. He began working in the field of police accountability 20 years ago, following the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. In Seattle, he'll help implement an overhaul of the SPD’s use-of-force procedures and establish guidelines for citizen contacts and stops.

King County Sheriff Candidates Debate

Serene Careaga — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Whoever wins the election to lead the King County Sheriff's Department will have his work cut out for him. Two performance audits in recent months have criticized how the department handles internal investigations and use-of-force complaints. Steve Strachan has been interim sheriff since Sue Rahr departed earlier this year. Strachan faces a veteran of the department in the race, former KCSD spokesman John Urquhart. They join us in studio.