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Mayor Updates Public on SPD 20/20 Initiative

This news release is from the Office of Mayor Mike McGinn

Today Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle Police Department’s 20/20 team provided an update to the public on the progress of 20/20 implementation. The mayor also announced new civilian appointments to the Firearms Review Board, which reviews each discharge of a firearm by a Seattle police officer and makes disciplinary recommendations.

“We are about half way through our timeline for reforming the Seattle Police Department in 20 months, and significant progress has been made. I encourage the public to visit seattle.gov/spd2020 to learn more about our changes to recruitment, training, transparency, community outreach, use of data in policing and much more,” said McGinn

The mayor also released a report, available at seattle.gov/spd2020 outlining in detail the current status of each item committed to in the 20/20 plan. Highlights include:

• Review of uses of force: SPD now has a Force Review Board, designed on the model of the Firearms Review Board. It meets each week to review every use of force by every Seattle Police officer and draw conclusions about whether the use of force was handled correctly. We have also recruited and trained a Force Investigation Team to respond and investigate at the scene of a use of force incident.

• Data-driven policing: SPD has piloted and tested evidence-based “hot spot” policing (the “Koper Curve” model) at the micro level to address location-based crime and disorder problems in each of the five precincts. Additionally, statistical tools are used to measure the effectiveness of the tactics employed. This has created a significant shift in the culture of policing within the Department, away from random patrol to addressing disorder closer to the origins of its cause. The purchase of “PredPol” (a predictive policing, algorithm based software using forensic anthropology) has enabled us to leverage existing mapping software to utilize predictive analytics in the tactical deployment of officers.

• Training: SPD now has a full time Race and Social Justice Initiative program coordinator. By the end of 2013 all sworn and civilian officers will take part in the RSJI training, “Race: The Power of an Illusion”. SPD is working with Tribes across Washington including the Lummi Nation and Tulalip Tribes to develop specific training for officers on issues affecting our Native American population. Street skills training has been expanded to address the difficult problem of low level offenses from escalating. By the end of 2013 in all SPD officers will be trained in Crisis Intervention Team tactics, which focus on de-escalating interactions with people in mental health crisis.

• Transparency: SPD last year launched Tweets by Beat, an interactive 9-1-1 crime map with real time updates, and precinct specific webpages are coming soon.

• Community Outreach: In 2012 we launched our Safe Communities outreach initiative, talking to thousands of residents and building better relationships between our officers and our community. We have appointed our Community Police Commission, who will provide civilian oversight to the implementation of 20/20, the Settlement Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Justice.

• Recruitment: SPD will eliminate the $25 fee application fee for all those interested in applying, made plans to increase the number of opportunities for testing throughout the year, and worked with community-based organizations to recruit potential candidates from various communities that reflect our diverse city.

All Mayor’s Office press conferences, town halls and general public meetings are archived by Seattle Channel.