Seattle mayor, police chief parade their solidarity after DOJ pact
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SEATTLE - One day after the city of Seattle avoided a federal lawsuit over an investigation by the Department of Justice for use of excessive force, the mayor and his police chief made a public statement of solidarity.
They say changes to the police department mean a path forward toward a better Seattle.
The annual Seafair Torchlight Parade brought out flag flyers, toe-tappers and motorcade maneuvers. There, too, were Mayor Mike McGinn and Police Chief John Diaz.
"It was the chief's idea to come out," says McGinn. "We made this DOJ announcement on Friday, which was a big deal."
This was the first time the mayor and police chief stood side by side publicly since Friday, when the U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan and city leaders laid out a plan to change the Seattle Police Department.
Durkan called it a "good, solid agreement" at Friday news conference.
The announcement of an agreement came out of a scathing Department of Justice report that found Seattle police routinely used excessive force and showed evidence of biased policing.
The plan sets up a court monitor who will oversee the changes. It also includes a community policing commission - one the city hopes will help satisfy skeptical community leaders.
Mayor McGinn and Chief Diaz agree - these changes will take time. But they insist the plan will pave a way to a better police force - and a better Seattle.
"It's a good deal, and it will give us a new path forward," says McGinn.
Some minority group leaders say they're hopeful, but they are skeptical the five-year-plan will restore public confidence in the department - and its chief.
They say changes to the police department mean a path forward toward a better Seattle.
The annual Seafair Torchlight Parade brought out flag flyers, toe-tappers and motorcade maneuvers. There, too, were Mayor Mike McGinn and Police Chief John Diaz.
"It was the chief's idea to come out," says McGinn. "We made this DOJ announcement on Friday, which was a big deal."
This was the first time the mayor and police chief stood side by side publicly since Friday, when the U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan and city leaders laid out a plan to change the Seattle Police Department.
Durkan called it a "good, solid agreement" at Friday news conference.
The announcement of an agreement came out of a scathing Department of Justice report that found Seattle police routinely used excessive force and showed evidence of biased policing.
The plan sets up a court monitor who will oversee the changes. It also includes a community policing commission - one the city hopes will help satisfy skeptical community leaders.
Mayor McGinn and Chief Diaz agree - these changes will take time. But they insist the plan will pave a way to a better police force - and a better Seattle.
"It's a good deal, and it will give us a new path forward," says McGinn.
Some minority group leaders say they're hopeful, but they are skeptical the five-year-plan will restore public confidence in the department - and its chief.
Another Seattle pride parade apparently. Proud to have no spines.Â
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Seattle will be so much safer, once law enforcement in neutered and relegated to concierge servants.
Two new Seafair clowns!
Hmmm, would that be the same D.O.J that has looked the other way while John Corzine has been walking around a free man after his company (MF Global) stole 1.6 billion from the paersonal accounts of its customers 9 months ago? Or, how about Pedegrine (P.F.G.) and their recent thefts of customer money and still no action from Eric Holder. This absence of the rule of law is only going to make these disasters occur more often and increase in size.
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I didnt really expect anything like "justice" from the dept of justice.
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Most police officers are good cops . but the few bad ones will compromises the whole and
neighboring community P.D. will  follow suit.Â
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The 20/20 plan was a patronizing pile of garbage , designed to appease and
pacified the Doj . It had no over site or enforcement procedures for compliance
The doj saw right threw it. So the city Officials cried foul and said the doj recommendations
would hamper police officers duty's , and would cost 40 million $ Remember they the City
must spend 20-30 million having meeting about it before they do ANYTHINGÂ
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The S.P.O.G. , city attorney , O.P.A. , Diez, Mcginnes, Evdance dept,  all have the same agenda ,
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1 denied all wrong doing , regardless of the evidence . ( provided the evidence is still available )
2 Keep the status quo ,
3 deflect all criticisms , and tech the officers to be evasive . Key words are ( I don't recall )
4 all of the police officer that wear accused of brutality, are off the hook since this decree is
 not retro active.
5 The most  important issue is who handles the evidence ( video evidence ) remember if
  they accidentally lose , erase , destroy, it your chance of winning a case against the PD
 if almost Zero. and If they keep the more favorable evidence you will lose Guaranteed.
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6 forget about trying to weed out all of the corruptions, there are to many dirty hands involved
   Just make sure your cell phone is charged and ready at all times so at least you can
  document your encounters with the police. They may try to charge you with old wire taping
  laws if you record them , so be careful.
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7 you are allowed to say/ask ( AM I FREE TO GO ) use it often / frequent ,
  this will shorten the time of your encounter and will cause the officer to explain what
  he needs to do before he can allow  you to leave . always be polite and courteous this will also help
  alot.
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Instead of parading around with their heads together like a couple of Eskimo's kissing or a pair of head butting wrestlers they should be working on how to turn the department around and get these badge heavy idiots retrained or off the force and return to some positive, polite policing of the Seattle streets. Seattle USED TO BE a great town with a good police force, now it's like living in Detroit or New Orleans with the way they act now. Mayor McGoo is no help as he has no idea what to do or how to do it. We can only pray that the chief has the mind to handle the task of returning the police back to a more likable and reliable force as it once was.Â
The DOJ turned its back on the New Black Panther Party's involvement in blocking and threatening the civil rights of our citizens and they have the audacity of telling the Seattle Police Department how to do it's jobâ¦Â Seriously?
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Now the DOJ should investigate the Pacific Police Department. I hate how advocacy organizations only focus on Seattle instead of smaller municipalities who need the help. If they want legitimacy, they need to be looking at all the cities, not just Seattle. Otherwise, their crusade is all for naught.Â
Now may be the time to move forward. To instill a culture of continuous learning and improvement with our police. For insight and direction, take a look at my new book and visit my blog,Â
âArrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nationâs Policeâ (Amazon.com). And my blog is at http://improvingpolice.wordpress.com/ where I discuss these and other current police improvement issues. Good luck and may we all experience not just good but great policing!
@David C. Couper LOL! I miss thumbs down!
This Mayor is such a joke and so spineless. If he ever gets run over while cycling to work it will be by a police cruiser doing a "fast backup"Â enroute to help a fellow officer because nobody else in this city has their backs. All the bad guys in this city know the police have their hands tied.
 @lakeunion the police can do their jobs while being professional. other agencies worldwide are proof of that. being abusive toward the public isnt necessary to enforce the law.
@oakie @lakeunion Unfortunately, you will never convince lakeunion of that. He believes that Seattle cops are (and should be) above the law. He doesnt understand that the public (taxpayers) will never respect officers who break the law themselves and the others who help cover those indiscretions.
The doj compromise is such a joke. The mayor choosing the people who keep an eye on the police makes no sense. He will just pick people who will turn a blind eye just as the police departments has done for years.  It essentially did nothing.Â
I hope they are the meaningful changes that the department so desparately needs and not feel good changes to pacify the public.
 @Waif So when is Center de la Raza going to respond to 400,000 911 calls every year if they and their colleagues in other groups know so much about dealing with people largely at their worst. The six or so incidents you have heard about in the media are not excusable nor should they be overlooked but the other 399,994 seem to have been conducted professionally enough. And as stated, most calls police respond to are not for people you would really be defending if you had seen what they did to another person.Â
Dumb and Dummer!!!!
Diaz looked like he had spent the day getting sunburned when Steve Raible interviewed him last night
Those two men are the biggest wussies in our state. ewwwwwww they make my skin crawl.
will the new warm and fuzzy police now ask people to come down to the police station and turn themselves in when they break the law and if they don't want to then the police will just say have a nice day? maybe they will give bad guys a pointed finger trophy for being a bad guy similar to the Schrammie that Ken hands out.