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Has The Seattle Police Dept. Reached A Turning Point In Reform Efforts?

caption: In this screenshot from a video provided by the Seattle Police Department, William Wingate is seen using a golf club like a cane when confronted by Officer Cynthia Whitlatch on July 9, 2014, in Seattle.
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In this screenshot from a video provided by the Seattle Police Department, William Wingate is seen using a golf club like a cane when confronted by Officer Cynthia Whitlatch on July 9, 2014, in Seattle.
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Ross Reynolds interviews Crosscut reporter David Kroman about Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole's decision to fire Officer Cynthia Whitlatch for her questionable arrest of a 69-year-old black man who was using a golf club as a cane last July.

Some are saying this is a sign that Seattle Police may have turned the corner in the effort to reform under a Department of Justice Consent decree aimed at stopping excessive use of force by the department. But there's still a question of whether the police union will overturn the firing.

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