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: Injustice in Seattle

Gil May Be Incompetent, But Sue Isn't

By David Packman

King County Sheriff, Sue Rahr, has taken a hard line on police misconduct within the King County Sheriff's Department while Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske has proven to be utterly impotent against the Seattle Police Officer's Guild's efforts to protect corrupt officers at any cost.

As an example of her commitment of maintaining the public's trust in their police and justice system, two King County Sheriff's officers are no longer on the police force after being caught providing false testimony on written police reports. Sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Urquhart told reporters "The Sheriff has been pretty consistent. If you lie, cheat, or steal, you're going to get fired." This, of course, is the polar opposite of Gil Kerlikowske's apparent policy of "Lie, brutalize innocent citizens, and interfere with federal investigations and I might promote you."

One officer resigned over the incidents, and another was fired. When contacted by the press, the fired officer told reporters "I wouldn't testify against my partner.", as if the unspoken code of silence between police officers was some sort of legal defense for corruption and misconduct... as it apparently is in the Seattle Police Department.

While I remain consistently baffled by how many stories of police misconduct the Seattle Police Department consistently provides this site and the major news outlets with, we should be mindful of how few stories of misconduct there are from the King County Sheriff's Department lately, even though that department was the subject of many high profile misconduct stories just a few years ago. I think this kind of hard work towards fixing problems should be praised in this day and age where cover-ups and absurd excuses are the norm.

Indeed, thank you Sue Rahr, for providing me with so little to write about lately by performing the obligations of your job and your duty to the people... which is something that Gil Kerlikowske consistently refuses to do. Sure, you may have made mistakes in the past, but I think it's better to forgive and encourage someone who ultimately does what is right than dwell on their past mistakes. So keep up the effort towards running a clean department, it is appreciated by the public you serve.

Full post as published by Injustice in Seattle on January 19, 2008 (boomark / email).