Seattle leaders emphasize commitment to both police reform and public safety in new legislation

Seattle, Washington – In a key stride toward changing public safety in Seattle, the City Council voted 6-3 to accept enhanced crowd control standards for the Seattle Police Department (SPD).  The new guideline introduces stronger control on the use of force while keeping flexibility for cops managing large gatherings.  This decision marks a major milestone in the city’s efforts to dissolve the long-standing federal consent decree, which has dictated SPD reforms for over a decade.

Balancing public safety and accountability  

The amended standards feature various revisions intended at strengthening accountability, particularly with the use of crowd control weapons such as blast balls. These steps were aimed to ensure SPD officers have clear protocols while reacting to demonstrations and other public events, balancing the requirement for safety with concerns over excessive force.

“The crowd management guidelines we passed today strike an important balance of giving our police officers flexibility to keep people in large gatherings safe, while also adding in clearly defined accountability measures,” said Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle (District 7). “I want to thank the Mayor’s Office and Seattle Police Department for their work in aligning the legislation with best practices so we can end the consent decree. I also want to thank all those that reached out to us on this bill and especially our accountability partners.”

“Today’s passage of new crowd management guidelines for Seattle police is another major achievement for this Council,” said Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9). “Public safety is our top priority, and we continue to deliver. With the end of the federal consent decree in sight, it’s important we continue to lay the groundwork for the Police Department to play its key role in building a safer Seattle for everyone, while holding officers accountable.”

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Courtesy of Seattle PD

A long road to reform 

Since 2012, when the U.S. Department of Justice discovered SPD had participated in unlawful policing activities, especially in relation to force utilization, Seattle’s issue with crowd management rules has come under federal investigation. Under the federal monitoring agreement known as the consent decree, the department was obliged to carry out a series of changes meant to increase responsibility and community confidence.

Using less lethal weapons has been one of the main points of contention. Following mass demonstrations, the City Council tried to outright forbid such weapons in 2020; but, a federal court reversed the ruling citing violations of the consent agreement. SPD has run on an interim crowd control policy since then while city officials tried to create a more permanent strategy.

The recently agreed rules support constitutional rights and offer stability, therefore defining clear expectations for how SPD should manage such events.

Additional background is available in the agenda packet materials.

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What’s next? 

The legislation enacted marks the beginning of the process whereby the policy is signed by Mayor Bruce Harrell before being presented to the federal court supervizing the consent decree. Seattle could at last be able to submit a move to terminate the consent decree if the court determines the policy conforms with best standards and satisfies reform criteria.

Regarding SPD, this is a potential turning point. Although federal supervision has resulted in significant advancements in de-escalation, use-of-force regulations, and training, municipal officials are ready to move toward a self-regulated model. Community supporters caution, meanwhile, that dissolving the consent decree shouldn’t signal a retreat from responsibility.

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The question remains how to maintain police reforms and public confidence as Seattle approaches a post-consent decree era and empower officers with tools need to guarantee safety in a changing metropolitan environment.