Seattle Police Department
Encyclopedia
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, except for the campus of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

, for which responsibility falls to the University of Washington Police Department. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., is a credentialing authority , based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredited public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, training academies, communications centers, and campus public safety...

.

The Seattle Police Department has various specialty units including SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...

, bike patrol
Police bicycle
A Police bicycle is a land vehicle used by police departments, most commonly in the form of a mountain bicycle. They are designed to meet the requirements unique to each department....

, harbor patrol
Water police
Water police, also called harbour patrols, port police, marine/maritime police, nautical patrols, bay constables or river police, are police officers, usually a department of a larger police organisation, who patrol in water craft...

, motorcycles
Police motorcycle
A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by various police forces and departments. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States...

, and mounted patrols
Mounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...

.

Law enforcement in Seattle began with the appointment of William H. ("Uncle Joe") Surber as town marshal in 1861. The SPD was officially organized on June 2, 1886. As of 2007 it has 1,285 sworn officers. Since the establishment of the Seattle Police Department, 58 officers have died in the line of duty.

Command structure

The chief of the Seattle Police Department is John Diaz.
  • OPA Director Kathryn Olson (Office of Professional Accountability—civilian position)
  • Deputy Chief Clark Kimerer (Deputy Chief of Administration)
  • Assistant Chief Dick Reed (Field Support Bureau)
  • Valarie Anderson (Chief Administrative Officer—civilian position)
  • Deputy Chief Nick Metz (Deputy Chief of Operations)
  • Assistant Chief Mike Sanford (Patrol Operations Bureau)
  • Assistant Chief Paul McDonagh (Special Operations Bureau)
  • Assistant Chief Jim Pugel (Investigations Bureau)

Rank structure and insignia

Title Insignia
Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...

Deputy Chief
Police ranks of the United States
The United States police rank model is generally paramilitary in structure.-Ranks:Although the large and varied number of federal, state, and local police and sheriff's departments have different ranks, a general model, from highest to lowest rank, would be:...

Assistant Chief
Police ranks of the United States
The United States police rank model is generally paramilitary in structure.-Ranks:Although the large and varied number of federal, state, and local police and sheriff's departments have different ranks, a general model, from highest to lowest rank, would be:...

Captain
Police captain
- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....

Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

Detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...

Police Officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

Source: Seattle Police Department: Policy and Procedure Manual, Title 9.050 (XI)(B), p.7–8

Significant events

On June 21, 1974, a Seattle Police helicopter on its way to a shooting collided with a Cessna near Boeing Field
Boeing Field
Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a two-runway airport owned and run by King County, Washington, USA. In promotional literature, the airport is frequently referred to as KCIA, but this is not the airport identifier. The airport has some passenger service, but is mostly...

. Both officers on board and both civilians in the Cessna were killed.

In 1987, the Seattle Police Department created the modern mountain bike patrol units, paving the way for cities across North America to follow.
In 1999, Seattle hosted the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

 (WTO) Conference. The Seattle Police Department was criticized for failing to properly prepare for the over 100,000 protesters that disrupted the conference. While the majority of protestors were not violent, some assaulted delegates and police, and destroyed property. The protest soon devolved into a riot. In response, SPD used chemical agents and less-lethal weapons in an attempt to restore order. News footage of this response and of the rioting was broadcast worldwide. Amazingly, not a single protester or police officer was injured seriously enough during the riot to require hospitalization. Chief Norm Stamper
Norm Stamper
Norm Stamper is a former Chief of the Seattle Police Department and an author. He is best known for his role in the Seattle's response to the protests of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which eventually led to his resignation....

 resigned amid the scrutiny of police response to the event.
In 2001, riots broke out downtown during the Mardi Gras celebrations. The riots resulted in one death, more than 70 hospitalizations, and 21 arrests. The Seattle Police Officers' Guild membership voted overwhelmingly "no confidence" in Chief Kerlikowske for his failure to take appropriate leadership action during the incident.

In August 2010 homeless First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 woodcarver John T. Williams was shot and killed by SPD officer Ian Birk. Birk testified that he saw Williams stabbing at a piece of wood with knife as he walked down the street. After stopping and getting out of his patrol car Birk repeatedly told Williams to drop his knife. Williams was, in turn, shot when he turned toward the police officer. Birk would testify that Williams' knife was open and he appeared intent on attacking him (a Seattle Fire Department responder also noted the knife was open as they worked on the subject). Subsequent grand jury findings on the level of threat posed by Williams were inconclusive but an internal review of the shooting by the SPD's Firearms Review Commission found the shooting "unjustified" and cited Birk's tactical mishandling of the confrontation as being responsible for Williams' death. In the aftermath of the shooting Williams' lengthy criminal record and threats against police officer's lives were published. Birk also resigned from the Department, though prosecutor Dan Satterberg
Dan Satterberg
Daniel T. Satterberg is currently King County Prosecuting Attorney, an office he has held since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Personal life:...

 declined to file charges prompting a protest by Williams' family and supporters. The prosecutor declined to file charges as his (Birk's) actions did not fall under a criminal violation of murder, nor was there any evidence to support act of malicious intent.

In 2010, two Latino men were ordered to lay on the ground by detectives from SPD's Gang Unit in addition to patrol officers on suspicion of being involved in a robbery. The men, however, were not involved and the entire event was captured by a reporter's cell phone camera. During this, the two men were repeatedly kicked, stomped on,(disputed based on definition, amount of times etc, see video) and verbally assaulted by at least one officer on scene. One officer, Shandy Cobane, shouted "I will beat the Mexican piss out of you homey, you feel me?!" A female officer is seen stomping on the same man's back with her arms crossed. After some time, they learn via radio that the two men were not part of the robbery and released them. Once the video was released to the media, protests over racial tensions began and activists demanded that the officers be fired, as well as protested in the streets on several occasions causing damage to local businesses, passing vehicles, and patrol vehicles (at least one). Cobane gave an emotional public apology and said he wished that he could work together with the Latino community. After an internal investigation, Cobane was suspended for 30 days without pay, and demoted from Gang Unit Detective to Patrol Officer. The female officer and another officer were given a 10 day suspension without pay; both never apologized and deny any wrongdoing. One of the two men filed a claim against the city seeking more than $750,000, alleging, among other things, that he suffered physical pain and suffering. That claim was not settled, and a lawsuit was filed shortly afterward. Charges under Washington State's hate crime law were not filed because they had to prove that the officers in question targeted the subject based on his race. In December 2010, the Seattle City Attorney's Office also stated that it would not seek misdemeanor assault charges against Officers Cobane or Woollum because they "used reasonable force under state law on a suspect who wasn't following police commands". This determination came after an outside review showed the suspect (not handcuffed) moving his hands after being told not to.

Bike Unit

The Bike Unit is credited as the first mountain bike unit in the United States.

In 2005 the department started testing the use of BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...

 PDAs
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...

 with bike patrol officers. These PDAs allowed officers on the streets access to police records when the use of regular mobile data computer is not available.

Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum

The Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum is a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 in the Pioneer Square
Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington
Pioneer Square is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA. It was once the heart of the city: Seattle's founders settled there in 1852, following a brief six-month settlement at Alki Point on the far side of Elliott Bay. The early structures in the neighborhood...

 neighborhood of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, Washington. Founded in 1997, it is dedicated to the history of the Seattle Police Department and of law enforcement in the Seattle metropolitan area
Seattle metropolitan area
The Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County within the Puget Sound region. The U.S...

. It claims to be the largest police museum in the western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...

.

In popular culture

On the American television sitcom Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...

, Frasier's father Martin Crane
Martin Crane
Det. Martin "Marty" Crane is a fictional character on the American television show Frasier. He was played by actor John Mahoney. Martin is the father of Frasier and Niles Crane.- Biography :...

 was a homicide detective in the Seattle Police Department. Detective Crane was forced to retire after he was shot in the hip.

Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...

 and Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...

 starred as Seattle Police detectives in the films Stakeout and its sequel Another Stakeout
Another Stakeout
Another Stakeout is a 1993 comedy film, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez and Rosie O'Donnell. It is a sequel to the 1987 film, Stakeout. Unlike its predecessor, the film was neither a critical nor a commercial success.-Plot:...

. The first film was actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia instead of Seattle while the second was filmed in Seattle.

John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...

 played a Seattle police detective in the 1974 film McQ
McQ
McQ is a 1974 crime drama starring John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, and Colleen Dewhurst. The film made extensive use of actual Seattle locations. The beach scenes were filmed on the Pacific coast at Moclips.The film features a young Roger E...

.

In the 1987 film Harry and the Hendersons
Harry and the Hendersons
Harry and the Hendersons is a 1987 American comedy film directed and produced by William Dear, and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Lainie Kazan and Don Ameche. It is the story of a family's encounter with the cryptozoological creature Bigfoot...

, members of the Seattle Police Department investigate various prowler incidents as well as taking plaster casts of Sasquatch footprints.

In the 1990 film Short Time
Short Time
Short Time is a 1990 comedy movie by Gregg Champion and starring Dabney Coleman, Matt Frewer and Teri Garr. The film was released on Region 2 DVD by Carlton International Media UK in 2002...

, Dabney Coleman
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...

 plays a Seattle police detective whose medical records are mixed up with those of a bus driver who has only a short time to live. In an effort to secure his family's financial security, he attempts to get killed in the line of duty but, in a turn of comedic events, becomes a hero cop instead. Interestingly, this film was also filmed in Vancouver, BC despite the Seattle setting.

In the film Assassins (1995) starring Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...

, Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...

, and Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...

, Seattle Police chase the assassins through the city. One of the pursuing officers was played by an actual serving Seattle police officer.

The 2005 film Police Beat
Police Beat
Police Beat is a 2005 American crime film directed by Robinson Devor and written by Charles Mudede. It follows the life of an African-born Seattle bicycle officer simply known as "Z" for a week. While Z goes about on his policing duties, he finds himself mentally preoccupied with his girlfriend...

follows an immigrant turned Seattle bicycle cop. It was written by Charles Mudede, the police beat reporter for the publication The Stranger
The Stranger
- Fiction :* The Stranger , by Albert Camus* "The Stranger" , by J. D. Salinger* The Stranger , a 1987 collection of short stories by Gordon R...

.

In 2007, Battle in Seattle
Battle in Seattle
Battle in Seattle is a 2007 film and the directorial debut of actor Stuart Townsend. It is based on the protest activity at the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999...

was released starring Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...

 and Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...

. It is a story about the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity. Harrelson plays a Seattle cop.

In the video game World in Conflict
World in Conflict
World in Conflict, or WiC, is a real-time tactical video game developed by the Swedish video game company Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows. The game was released in September 2007...

, the Seattle Police Department help the National Guard to fight back the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

's invasion of United States. Although not a playable unit, a number of SPD officers can be seen in the opening cutscene, engaging Red Army troopers and evacuating civilians.

See also


External links

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