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The Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) was created by the Seattle City Council in 1999 after members of the community voiced their concern about police accountability. OPA is made up of a civilian director - who reports to the police chief - and an auditor - appointed by the mayor. The office handles citizen complaints and mediations between members of the community and the Seattle Police Department.
In May 2007, Council members approved Kathryn Olson's appointment as Director of OPA. Olson has 25 years experience as a lawyer. She says she's committed to overseeing cases in a timely manner while ensuring fairness and justice.
Wanting more citizen oversight for the office, City Council members created the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board (OPARB) in 2002. OPARB is made up of three citizens appointed by the City Council.
The board receives 10% of a randomly selected group of closed cases from OPA to review each month. They can also ask to review cases from a specific category such as the use of Tazers by police officers.
OPARB hopes to take the information gathered in their reviews and present their findings to the City Council and OPA on ways to strengthen police accountability and bolster community confidence of the City's police department.
However, OPARB hit a stumbling block shortly after its inception. The Police Guild successfully fought to keep the names of police officers mentioned in complaints confidential. They feared having the names of officers published in OPARB reports could have an affect on the panel's objectivity. OPARB claims, by reviewing complete records, they'd be better able to see if patterns emerge with complaints filed against officers.
The board has issued four reports over the past few years, including a strategic plan. But OPARB stopped issuing reports in 2003, claiming fear of lawsuits from police officers could force the citizen committee to lose their homes. The board wanted legal protection from the city regarding their reports about the police department.
With no agreements in place, the board refused to issue any further reports.
The latest news:
Mayor appoints 11-member panel to review police accountability
In July, Mayor Greg Nickels announced a panel to review Seattle's police accountability system. The 11-member panel includes former Mayor Norm Rice and former Governor Gary Locke.
While Nickels said he's happy with Seattle's current system, he added, there's always room for improvements. Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske also supports the panel and their mission to improve police accountability.
The panel will review the structure and process of the current police accountability system. Their process will be open to the public and they'll be seeking community input. A final report is due to the Mayor in November.
Read more about the Mayor's panel.
Previous updates
The silence from OPARB was heard at City Hall. On May 30, 2006, City Council members unanimously passed a bill give them access to unredacted files and grant them legal protection. Members will now have the same amount of liability coverage as all City employees. Under the regulations of the new bill, OPARB members will not be able to disclose any of the names of police officers to the public. The bill was sponsored by Council President Nick Licata and will go into effect when the current police contract expires at the end of the year.
What's next for this issue:
The Mayor's 11-member appointed panel will issue their final report in November.
Additional Resources:
Share your thoughts:
If you have any questions or comments on this article, or if you have an In-Depth story idea, contact Megan Erb at megan.erb@seattle.gov.
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