In response to this recent KOMO 4 segment, there are a few details that the Seattle Police Department would like to emphasize. Redacted copies of the original police report and arrest report are included as well.
In regards to the decision not to employ other police resources – such as SWAT – to arrest the suspect, Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) Director Kathryn Olson and OPA Auditor Anne Levinson disagreed with the initial recommendation of “Supervisory Intervention” and believed a sustained finding was called for. Chief Diaz agreed that there should be discipline and the supervisor involved received a written reprimand. He and the other officers received additional training regarding domestic violence investigations and arrests.
For more on this, please click on this link, go to page 18 and scroll to the third paragraph and also this link and go to page 10.
The Department understands how traumatic domestic violence (DV) can be for victims. The department does provide a DV pamphlet for DV victims including referral information on how to access services – it was done in this case.
A Domestic Violence detective and a victim advocate were assigned to this case immediately. The detective worked diligently with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) to obtain a felony arrest warrant for the suspect. It was issued five days after the original report. SPD North Precinct Anti-Crime Team officers located and arrested the suspect three days later.
The case detective and the victim advocate believed that the victim was staying with family friends. It wasn’t until after the fact that the victim disclosed to the victim advocate that she had spent a day living in her car, coincidentally the same day that the suspect was arrested. This is unfortunate because there are shelters and resources available for victims of domestic violence. SPD DV detectives and civilian volunteers with the Seattle Police Victim Support Team are familiar with them and would have made them available.
The suspect was ultimately charged by the KCPAO with one count of felony domestic violence harassment, one count of witness tampering and one count of Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act 2nd degree, a weapons violation. The suspect plead guilty to all three counts and was sentenced to nine months in jail. The suspect was released with credit for time served.
For more information on SPD Domestic Violence Safety, please click here. For information on volunteering with the Victim Support Team to help victims of domestic violence, please click here.
Here are links to the redacted police reports in question: DV report, Arrest report