Tag Archives: spog

SPOG deal approved as Seattle City Council approves big raises with a few accountability strings for its police officers

Posted on by

No word, yet, on how the new deal will change the Seattle Police Officers Guild’s “Seattle Public Safety Index”

With reporting by Hannah Saunders

The Seattle City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday to approve a new contract agreement with the city’s police officer union that leaders including Mayor Bruce Harrell and Chief Adrian Diaz says will boost salaries and morale as the department struggles to hire more officers. Council members voting for the contract also said Tuesday the deal will adding limited new oversight resources and move more public safety work like handling automated traffic tickets and property damage to civilian teams outside the department to help focus officers on the city’s most serious crime needs.

Public Safety Committee chair Bob Kettle said prior to Tuesday’s vote the key to the contract is improving SPD staffing levels, and that the agreement shows a commitment to both SPD and improving public safety. Acknowledged that the contract is expensive and a challenge with the budget deficit, Kettle said Seattle cannot compete in the law enforcement labor market, then it cannot accomplish the goal of achieving public safety.

“This is not done. This will continue. This is an interim or partial agreement,” Kettle said. “I have high standards and high expectations for our police department.”

The deal retroactively covers 2021, 2022, and 2023 with a series of raises that will give officers an immediate 23% boost in pay. Continue reading →

City Council set for vote on new contract with Seattle’s cops

Posted on by

Recruit Class 872 being sworn in (Image: SPD)

Despite complaints that the vote is being rushed without adequate public debate, the Seattle City Council is set to approve a new deal Tuesday afternoon with the city’s cops that will bring big raises, some new oversight, and more police work moved to “civilian resources.”

The meeting of the full council is set for 2 PM and includes a mandated opportunity for up to 20 minutes of public comment. Expect there to be demands for much more.

District 2’s Tammy Morales has called for the vote to be delayed.

“This contract with SPOG is an incredibly important vote about the future of police accountability and civilian public safety alternatives in Seattle,” Morales said in a statement. “The community deserves a chance to make their voice heard before we vote on it. We shouldn’t be rushing this.”

Council president and citywide representative Sara Nelson said this week the vote cannot be delayed, adding that it is urgent the city puts a new deal in place that she hopes will begin to address the city’s dwindling ranks of sworn officers. Continue reading →

Seattle’s new deal with cops: big raises, some new oversight, more police work moved to ‘civilian resources’

Posted on by

Seattle has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with its police force that meets many of the goals on salary increases that advocates have said are necessary to help grow the Seattle Police Department’s ranks, adds increased oversight and accountability, and opens the door for City Hall to move more of its work around public safety like automated traffic tickets and property damage to teams outside the department.

Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the tentative agreement with the Seattle Police Officer Guild and the move of legislation covering the contract to the Seattle City Council.

“This agreement focuses on three key areas: improving police staffing and fair wages at a time when officer numbers are at a historic low; enhancing accountability measures to ensure allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated and discipline is appropriate; and expanding civilian response options to build a diversified safety system and create new efficiencies,” Harrell said in statement.

The deal retroactively covers 2021, 2022, and 2023 with a series of raises that will give officers an immediate 23% boost in pay. The Harrell administration said negotiations for 2024 “are ongoing with the assistance of a mediator appointed by the Public Employment Relations Commission” and suggested more reform measures “proposed by the City based on input from community partners and the federal judge overseeing the City’s Consent Decree with the Department of Justice” will be included in the final agreement. Continue reading →

‘Rally for Justice for Jaahnavi Kandula’ will march to police union headquarters as Seattle City Hall weighs responses to bodycam video

Posted on by

(Image: CHS)

A protest and march to the Seattle Police Officer Guild headquarters is being planned for Saturday continuing rallies and calls for justice in the city for Jaahnavi Kandula as her January death has become the center of growing criticism of the city’s police force.

Saturday’s march is planned to begin Saturday at 4 PM at 5th and Jackson near Union Station. No groups have been listed as organizers but flyers have been posted across the central city encouraging people to attend.

“Bring your walking shoes; we’ll be marching to SPOG!,” a Reddit post promoting the rally said.

The Saturday demonstration will follow a rally last Saturday and smaller demonstrations around the city that have so far remained peaceful and without conflict with police.

Meanwhile, a petition calling for officers in the case to be held accountable has reached more than 200,000 signatures. Continue reading →

City Council strengthens police accountability subpoena powers — and, they hope, Seattle’s leverage in contract fight with police union

Posted on by

The City of Seattle has new leverage in its upcoming contract fight with the city’s police union. The City Council voted Monday to strengthen the subpoena powers of the Office of Police Accountability and Office of Inspector General.

The legislation passed Monday will empower the offices to subpoena witnesses and officers involved in incidents of reported police misconduct, clarifying the powers that had been weakened in recent SPD union contracts.

“For our civilian-led police accountability system to work, investigators must have access to key information in pursuing misconduct complaints,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold representing West Seattle and chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee. “The City will negotiate aspects of this legislation in the next police union contract to keep us on the path toward realizing true accountability and transparency.” Continue reading →