By Tim Clifford

The Community Police Commission (CPC), a civilian organization created in the wake of the 2012 settlement between the Seattle Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice has announced its revisions to the department’s accountability system. The CPC’s revision recommendations were endorsed by Mayor Ed Murray, who has also promised to ensure that these recommendations are not only considered by the SPD but followed.

From the press release:

These recommendations were informed by the contributions of many, including Pierce Murphy, the current OPA Director; Judge Anne Levinson, the current OPA Auditor; Mayor Murray’s special advisor, Dr. Bernard Melekian; the City Attorney’s Office; and others. Our advisors have largely endorsed the CPC recommendations. 
 
It is very good progress that so many of the CPC's accountability recommendations are also being endorsed by the Mayor and that he and other City leaders are committing to seeing them through by ensuring that changes are made swiftly to necessary ordinances, collective bargaining agreements, and the City's legislative agenda. 
 
The CPC is well aware of the substantial new responsibilities it will assume. We are confident in our ability to undertake the new work because we have a proven track record. In 2013 and 2014 an OPA manual was adopted which the CPC reviewed and approved; the CPC has reviewed SPD policies and training on use of force, bias, stops, in-car videos; and during the course of its work since early 2013, the CPC has conducted extensive community engagement. 
 
The CPC has tackled hard issues, has always sought community input, and its deliberations have benefited from a range of perspectives offered by its diverse individual members. Most often it has reached consensus positions that value and honor that range of views, while never compromising its fundamental values. We believe our diversity, our commitment to seeking police and community perspectives, and our experience in balancing various interests will serve us well in our new role providing civilian oversight of SPD's accountability system. 

The proposal today puts the City on the right road to reforming the police accountability system, but much remains to be done in the collective bargaining process, in making reforms permanent in law, and in ensuring practices are in place in SPD and in other City offices to support the intended reforms.

Over the coming months the CPC will continue to work on reform recommendations concerning the department’s labor negotiations with local police unions, prepare police accountability legislation in time for the first quarter of 2015 to be considered by the City Council, and testify in Olympia for state law reforms to encourage good policing practices statewide.

The CPC is a civilian organization which offers recommendations to improve police procedure and practices by assessing input and feedback from the community. Beginning in 2013 the organization was created as a result of the settlement between the Department of Justice and the Seattle Police Department following a federal investigation into the department. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding the city created the CPC to ensure that the public had the ability to influence the coming reforms to department.