SEATTLE (AP) - The city of Seattle and the U.S. Department of Justice have asked a federal judge to find that the police department is in compliance with federally mandated reforms to stop excessive use of force.
The request would dissolve all remaining oversight of the police department regarding its use of force and other issues such as biased policing, The Seattle Times reported.
The request follows a 2018 court ruling that the city had complied with a 2012 consent decree.
The department is a “different organization than it was nine years ago,” with a “dramatic reduction in the use of force,” city attorneys said in a 27-page brief. “The success of the consent decree reforms and SPD’s accomplishments deserve to be recognized.”
The city has taken steps to address concerns about police accountability measures and expects to submit a plan to U.S. District Judge James Robart by Aug. 1, officials said.
“Today as a result of the consent decree reforms, more than 99% of SPD’s force complies with policy … and there has been a 60% reduction in the use of serious force,” Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said.
Department of Justice attorneys agreed that the city has met the terms of the two-year review period, according to court records.
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