Law & Courts Kent Mayor will seek assistant police chief’s resignation after outcry over Nazi insignia An outside investigation found it was "not plausible" that Derek Kammerzell did not know of the Nazi reference when he posted the insignia, as he claimed. Police Chief Rafael Padilla suspended Kammerzell for two weeks. Amy Radil Casey Martin
Law & Courts Fatal police encounters in Washington fall to 5-year low There’s intriguing new data about police interactions in Washington State. The number of people who died in police encounters in the first 11 months of the year declined more than 60 percent from the year before. Amy Radil
Law & Courts ‘I can’t breathe,’ Tulalip man told police. Snohomish County to pay $1.75 M in wrongful death suit Snohomish County will pay $1.75 million to the family of Cecil Lacy Jr., a Tulalip man who died during a 2015 encounter with law enforcement officers. The settlement was reached days before a second trial that was scheduled in the wrongful death case, which was brought against the county in 2016 and sought $4.5 million. Liz Brazile
Crime The silence is maddening: remembering Jesse Sarey "As our family continues the fight seeking justice for Jesse, many more have joined this unique 'family' of impacted people." Elaine Simons
Law & Courts Seattle budget chair defends latest police funding cuts The chair of the Seattle City Council’s budget committee says critics are spreading 'misinformation' about her proposal to cut $10.8m from SPD next year. Amy Radil
Law & Courts Legal battle over identifying Seattle officers at pro-Trump rally preceding Jan. 6 insurrection continues Oral arguments in an ongoing legal battle over publicly identifying four Seattle police officers who attended the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol were heard by the Washington State Supreme Court Tuesday morning. Liz Brazile
Seattle’s Carmen Best is being considered for NY police commissioner job The New York Times is reporting former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is on the short list of candidates for police commissioner at the New York Police Department. Katie Campbell Angela King
Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best speaks plainly about being 'Black in Blue' in new book Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best started her law enforcement career the same year Rodney King was brutally beaten by Los Angeles police officers. She ended her career in 2020, just a few months after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis. And the intervening years were marked with too Angela King Katie Campbell
González vs Harrell: Seattle's policing and criminal justice Lorena González and Bruce Harrell sat down with a panel of KUOW journalists, producers, and community engagement staff to discuss their approaches to the city's challenges, such as policing and criminal justice. Dyer Oxley
Government 'We cannot promise every employee an accommodation' Even if your request for an exemption is approved, you are still at risk for losing your job. Natalie Akane Newcomb Katie Campbell Angela King
