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Justice Department Announces Significant Milestone in Policing Reform Efforts for the City of Seattle and Seattle Police Department
“For over a decade, the Justice Department has worked to ensure that the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department undertake reforms necessary to bring about constitutional policing. Our consent decree has provided the strong medicine needed to help cure problems and improve the way policing is carried out across the City of Seattle.” -Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke
“Today we recognize the progress that has been made, the significant reforms instituted and the central role that the community has played and will continue to play in ensuring fair, non-discriminatory and effective policing moving forward.” -Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke
On March 28, 2023 The Justice Department announced that it had jointly filed a proposed agreement with the City of Seattle that recognizes the city’s consistent compliance with the core requirements of a 2012 consent decree regarding the Seattle Police Department (SPD). The agreement includes important obligations that the city must take to continue the reform process. The proposed agreement would replace the consent decree, but would require that the city continue to measure whether the reforms required by the consent decree remain effective. The city must also complete work in two remaining areas: use of force in crowd management and accountability.
Updated January 20, 2025