Seattle police will begin implementing the nation’s first policy that governs the use of police patrol “ruses,” a statement an officer knows is not true but may be helpful to an investigation, according to city press release Monday.
“Effective public safety requires community buy-in, and this new policy is an important step to build understanding with the public, demonstrating that for Seattle Police Department (SPD) operations to be successful, they must be paired with a commitment to unbiased, constitutional policing,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.
The policy comes a few years after a Seattle officer’s ruse contributed to the suicide of a hit-and-run driver in 2018. Another controversial ruse was when officers created fake radio traffic to try and get protesters away from the CHAZ/CHOP zone in 2020. Harrell directed the SPD to develop the new policy because those cases undermined the public’s trust and confidence in police, according to the SPD.
Ooh, yeah, I don’t live in the Seattle area so I’m not as familiar with their media environment/don’t remember all their papers off the top of my head, but I remember the Stranger being a really solid one now that you mention it
Dan Savage is one of the main reasons that it’s known far and wide. I’m proud to have shook his hand once.