The Seattle City Council has cast its votes, with a 6-3 majority, favoring the implementation of new crowd management guidelines for the Seattle Police Department (SPD). This legislation is poised to enhance oversight and accountability, focusing heavily on the controlled use of blast balls. Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle from District 7 expressed, "The crowd management guidelines we passed today strike an important balance of giving our police officers flexibility to keep people in large gatherings safe, while also adding in clearly defined accountability measures,” as detailed by Seattle City Council press release. Kettle also noted the contributions of the Mayor's Office, Seattle Police Department, and community members in refining this bill.
Council President Sara Nelson, assuming Position 9, acknowledged the passage of the new guidelines as a substantial accomplishment, highlighting the council’s dedication to public safety and forward momentum in police accountability. "With the end of the federal consent decree in sight, it’s important we continue to lay the groundwork for the Police Department to play its key role in building a safer Seattle for everyone, while holding officers accountable," Nelson told Seattle City Council press release. Seattle has been operating without specific rules in the municipal code regarding less-lethal weapons for crowd control since a 2020 ordinance ban was overturned by a federal court.
Before this, Seattle's consent decree, commencing in 2012, was instituted following an agreement between SPD and the Department of Justice to enforce a span of reforms. New policies are set to be reviewed by the mayor and thereafter submitted to the federal court overseeing the city's consent decree, as highlighted in the council's agenda packet materials. Should the guidelines align with established best practices, the city will be in a position to request an end to the federal oversight.
The next steps involve the policy's adoption and mayoral endorsement, before proceeding to the federal court's evaluation. The overarching goal here is to lift the nearly 13-year-long federal consent decree, marking a significant shift towards autonomous oversight of Seattle's law enforcement practices while upholding stringent accountability. Additional information about the policy and its ramifications can be sought in the provided council materials.
