Seattle Police Officers Guild Statement Regarding the Termination of the Federal Consent Decree
Seattle Police Officers Guild Statement Regarding the
Termination of the Federal Consent Decree
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Consent Decree over the Seattle Police Department has thankfully come to an end. The line officers and sergeants of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) emphatically welcome Judge Robart’s decision to terminate this 14-year long saga. President Mike Solan said, “The weaponized financial grift that is the Department of Justice Consent Decree process is finally over. It’s over for the cops, the citizens, but also for those who profited from this process. Seattle’s taxpayers no longer must bear the financial DOJ Consent Decree burden, now over 220-million-dollars. With the Consent Decrees overly burdensome policy restrictions put onto Seattle’s police officers, these policies have had a detrimental impact on Seattle’s public safety. According to the latest FBI crime statistics, Seattle is now the 4th most dangerous city in the U.S. To be clear, SPOG supports DOJ Consent Decrees, but they must be reformed. We are excited that our national group UCOPS is leading the charge of reform with the DOJ Consent Decree process, and we are excited to be working with the DOJ Civil Rights Division to make the necessary reforms last.”
SPOG is proud of our rank-and-file members, who are the backbone of the Seattle Police Department. Despite the years-long noise of the Consent Decree process, they showed up to work every day, adapted to the ever-changing policies, and continued to fight hard to protect those who live and work in the City of Seattle in the parameters allowed. Despite losing half of the police force, the Seattle Police Officers Guild is still the largest police labor union in the Northwest.
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