The U.S. Justice Department has recently given its nod to Seattle, backing the city's request to end a long-standing police reform consent decree. This decision was revealed as the Civil Rights Division endorsed Seattle's motion to terminate the 13-year-old decree concerning the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
The consent decree, which has been in effect since 2012, was the result of the Justice Department's findings that SPD regularly engaged in excessive force and behavior that breached constitutional rights. Initially spurred by legislation from 1994, and 1968, the decree sought to overhaul the department's protocols on the use of force, crisis intervention, and other critical areas of policing, according to an official statement published yesterday.
"We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this thirteen-year-old consent decree," were the words of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division on the U.S. Justice Department. This acknowledgment comes with the assertion that the SPD has met the reform expectations, warranting the termination of outside oversight.
Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington echoed this sentiment, stating, "Seattle has been held up as an example of successful police reform and has done recent work on its crowd control policies, and accountability systems." Miller expressed confidence in Seattle's leadership in constitutional policing going forward, as detailed by the U.S. Justice Department. The court's decision to lift the decree indicates a significant moment for SPD, hinting at both the progress made and the trust that the department will continue its commitment to lawful practices.
