City of Seattle seeks end to federal oversight of police

The city of Seattle and the U.S. Justice Department are asking a federal judge to release the Seattle Police Department from a long-running consent decree.

In a motion and a supporting memo filed Thursday, the city and Justice Department said Seattle police have addressed the issues in the 2012 decree, which found a pattern or practice of excessive force.

Their attorneys said the city has sustained compliance with the goals of the decree for more than two years.

They asked federal District Judge James Robart to terminate the current monitoring scheme so the city can “reallocate scarce resources” to address the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year Robart said the city had made tremendous progress, but he said the latest police contract undermined accountability provisions in the decree and placed the city partly out of compliance with the agreement.

City attorneys seem to regard that issue as separate from the other milestones in the decree. They say they intend to respond to Robart's order by August 1.

In the memo, they cited the pandemic as the reason for the delay: "The City is unable to fully address the accountability issues in this filing, because it is now confronting an unprecedented public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the City is required to focus substantial resources—both human and financial—on addressing a myriad of urgent issues in order to protect the public health and safety of its residents."

In a brief statement Thursday, a spokesman for the Seattle Community Police Commission said its members are "reviewing the city’s court filing relating to the Consent Decree and sustainment plan. We anticipate holding a special meeting to discuss the filing and any potential responses to it in the coming days."