Perspectives on Reform Community Police Commission

Perspectives on Reform

CPC statement on Derek Chauvin guilty verdict

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Our hearts are with George Floyd’s loved ones today. While this is a step toward justice, we know nothing can fill the hole left in the hearts of his family and community.

The murder of George Floyd and the response by police departments to protests over the past year have shown the world what Black people in America have known for centuries – the systems of oppression perpetrated by policing make all of us less safe and less free.

Since George Floyd’s murder, police have killed nearly 1,000 people in the United States – two of them in Seattle. We cannot continue to wait for harm to be inflicted on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities to remind us that now is the time for action. To the Seattle Police Department and our elected leaders, our message is simple: do not just listen to community, act on their demands.

CPC, Seattle Police Monitor discuss draft Monitoring Plan and Methodology

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During the Seattle Community Police Commission’s (CPC) April 7 meeting, the Seattle Police Monitoring Team met with commissioners to discuss its plans to help oversee the Seattle Police Department’s compliance with the Consent Decree.

During that meeting, which you can watch here, the CPC reviewed the plan, posed questions about it, and gave the Monitoring Team feedback. The CPC also raised concerns about how late in the process the Monitoring Team consulted the CPC.

Links

  • Read the letter the CPC sent to the Monitoring Team with questions and feedback regarding the Monitoring Plan and Draft Assessment Methodology
  • View the PowerPoint presentation created by the CPC giving an overview of the Monitoring Plan and Draft Assessment Methodology

Shepherd ruling highlights need to address Seattle’s broken arbitration system

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The Seattle Community Police Commission released the following statement after an appeals court upheld the firing of former Seattle Police Officer Adley Shepherd. Read more here.

We applaud the court’s decision, but know there is still more work to be done to address issues with the police contracts which allowed Adley Shepherd to be reinstated after the Chief had fired him.

Seattle’s current police contracts allow for a broken arbitration system through which officers can challenge disciplinary decisions in closed-door hearings. Currently, there are nearly 100 unresolved arbitration appeals, some dating back to 2015.

We encourage City leaders to follow the court’s lead and address the issues in the police contracts, and implement the reforms in the 2017 Accountability Ordinance to prevent this from happening again.

CPC statement on investigation into the shooting of Shaun Fuhr

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The Office Police Accountability (OPA) released findings from its investigation into the Seattle Police Department’s shooting of Shaun Fuhr today, finding that the officers’ actions followed SPD policy and training. In response, Community Police Commission (CPC) Executive Director Brandy Grant is releasing the following statement:

“We are heartbroken for Shaun Fuhr’s loved ones and our entire community. This is a tragedy on every level. Police responses in Seattle too often result in violence, particularly when it involves people of color. We cannot continue to rely on police policy that has repeatedly allowed officers to shoot unarmed people. In no world should it be acceptable to shoot someone when they have their baby in their arms.”

The CPC does not have the power to investigate officers. However, the CPC will exercise its authority under the Accountability Ordinance to gain access to all unredacted investigatory files related to this case from OPA. We will be closely reviewing them and looking for systemic improvements to be made to work toward stopping anything like this from ever happening again.

Brandy Grant confirmed as CPC executive director

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Brandy Grant has been confirmed as the The Seattle Community Police Commission’s (CPC) permanent executive director. The CPC voted to appoint her to the position in February, and she was confirmed by City Council on March 15.

Brandy had served as the interim Executive Director of the CPC since August 2020. Prior to that she was a CPC commissioner. Brandy holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and has worked as a non-profit management professional for close to twenty years. She spent much of the last seven years developing public health programming that led to learning with community leaders, people with lived experience, representatives from public health, the legal and justice system, health care, and others to work to prevent more lives being affected by and lost to gun violence.

After Brandy was appointed to the position by the CPC, she and the co-chairs said:

“I am incredibly honored by this opportunity. At this critical time in police accountability, our commission has the ability and duty to make sure that we are leveraging the community’s ideas, experience, and expertise. I’m confident that by doing this, we can build toward a public safety system that our community can have faith in.”

Brandy Grant

“In our first major action as Co-chairs we are pleased to have presided over the selection of Brandy Grant as Executive Director for the CPC.  Brandy brings the leadership, experience and deep community connections that will serve the CPC in fulfilling our mission to ensure that the Community voice is centered in the accountability system in Seattle.”

Erin Goodman and La Rond Baker, CPC co-chairs

While the CPC is led by our commissioners, the Executive Director plays a crucial role in commission leadership, staff management, and implementation of the community’s police accountability priorities. Under the landmark 2017 Accountability Ordinance, the CPC Executive Director is appointed for a six-year term.

CPC statement of support of HB 1310

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The Seattle Community Police Commission strongly supports House Bill 1310.

Too often we have seen the damaging, and sometimes fatal, consequences when officers are not properly trained and equipped to use de-escalation techniques. We have even seen situations become dire immediately when Officers respond to situations without even the intent to de-escalate. Just one month ago, Seattle police officers shot a man in mental health crisis within 30 seconds of arriving on scene. This cannot, and must not, continue to happen. That is why the Seattle Community Police Commission strongly supports HB 1310.  

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