Federal oversight of Seattle's police department ends after 13 years

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. court on Wednesday returned control of Seattle's police department to the city, ending 13 years of court-ordered federal oversight of the department, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Justice Department made the latest recommendation in late July, saying the police department substantially complied with reforms to address civil rights violations and excessive use of force.

"Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington recognized the successful completion of the consent decree in 'United States v. City of Seattle', returning complete control of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to the City," the Justice Department said.

The consent decree that established the arrangement began in 2012. That followed a review that found Seattle police regularly violated residents' civil rights and that officers were too quick to use their batons and other weapons.

The police department achieved "sustained substantial compliance," according to the Justice Department.

The reforms included changes to the police department's practices on use of force, crisis intervention, stops, detentions, supervision, and accountability.

The 2011 review found that in encounters that required force, police used excessive force 20% of the time. When officers used their batons, more than half the time it was unnecessary or excessive.

Under former President Joe Biden, the Justice Department said in 2023 that the city took steps to address a prior pattern of police misconduct.

Among the changes were the creation of a Community Police Commission charged with police oversight. The city also established a team to investigate all incidents involving "serious uses of force," according to the Justice Department.

"The Consent Decree created internal systems of 'critical review' for our employees - they know what they are doing and are accountable," Seattle Police Department Chief Operations Officer Brian Maxey said on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel)

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