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Federal, County Prosecutors Decline to File Charges In 2010 Incident

The Seattle Police Department was notified today that the United States Attorney will not prosecute a Seattle police officer involved in a November 2010 incident in Georgetown. (See letters from U.S. Attorney and King County Prosecutor)

When the City Attorney’s Office brought this video to the Department’s attention in May 2015, Chief O’Toole notified the Office of Professional Accountability and consulted with Federal and County law enforcement authorities. The officer was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation. He will now remain on leave until the Office of Professional Accountability finalizes the administrative review. Because the Federal and County criminal investigations have been completed, the Department is releasing the video footage of the incident.

During the five years since this incident, much has happened in Seattle. The city, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Monitoring Team have worked collaboratively on an ambitious reform agenda. It focuses in large part on use of force and police accountability. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Monitor Merrick Bobb have acknowledged the positive results of this collective effort. There is still much to be done, but the SPD will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to enhance public trust, professionalize the SPD and serve as a national model for police reform.