This is the Seattle Community Police Commission's weekly newsletter. We know keeping up with all the news about police reform can be hard. So every week, we'll give you a digestible dose of it delivered right to your inbox.

Judge agrees with CPC, police contracts undermine accountability, must be improved

Federal Judge James Robart has found Seattle partially out of compliance with the Consent Decree and has ordered the city to improve police accountability. 

In his order, Judge Robart lays out the first step to do that. He has ordered the City, Department of Justice, with the assistance of the court-appointed monitor and the CPC to come up with a methodology for assessing the present accountability system, and for how the City proposes to come back into compliance with the Consent Decree. 

The CPC put out a statement yesterday saying, "While the Community Police Commission is still reviewing the Court’s order, we’re ready to work with city leaders to make sure Seattle has a strong police accountability system."

Local news

•  Seattle Times: Lawyers for family of Burien man killed by King County deputy allege cover-up by sheriff’s office

• KING5: Seattle police to remove homeless encampments near International District

• Seattle Times: Auburn police shoot, kill man who they say refused to drop knife after domestic dispute

City council delays vote on increasing Seattle hate crime protections

The Seattle City Council postponed a vote to protect more groups under the city's hate crime laws and increase possible punishments for people who commit the crimes until at least early June.

The move to increase those protections comes on the heels of a City Auditor report that found reports of hate crimes have increase more than 400 percent since 2012 in Seattle. In that report the City Auditor also identified seven ways local agencies like the Seattle Police Department could improve at responding to reports of hate crimes. 

Council committee holds hearing over City's use surveillance technologies

In the first round of hearings mandated under the 2017 Surveillance Ordinance, a city council committee heard from the Seattle Department of Transportation about their uses of two surveillance technologies, license plate readers and traffic cameras. 

The committee had the opportunity to vote on their uses, but didn't take an action. These were the first of two of around two dozen technologies that will be reviewed by this committee under the Surveillance Ordinance. Many of the ones in the future will involve technologies being used by the Seattle Police Department. 

National News

• AP: Medical examiner: Chokehold triggered Eric Garner’s death

• AP: NYPD used Woody Harrelson photo to find lookalike beer thief

• AP: Why Lori Lightfoot might succeed at passing historic Chicago police reforms

Meet a commissioner: Esther Lucero

Esther Lucero, CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board, just joined the CPC. Get to know some of her story by watching this video.

Have any feedback or ideas about this newsletter? Email jesse.franz@seattle.gov