Joe Szwaja, Candidate for Position One, Seattle, WA
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Joe Szwaja to Attend NAACP Rally for Police Accountability, Is Only City Council Candidate Who Supports Council Review of Police and Fire Chiefs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 28, 2007.
Joe Szwaja, the former Madison, Wisconsin City Councilmember who is running for Seattle City Council, will attend the NAACP rally for police accountability on June 28 at 4pm outside City Hall. In anticipation of the protest, he is issuing this statement:
“Most police do a very good job and do the right thing most of the time. Yet when police do the wrong thing, they need to be held accountable. Right now, that is not happening. The framers of our Constitution set up checks and balances to avoid the abuse of government power – we need to make sure that there are also checks and balances on the power of the police, who sometimes take their power too far.
“In recent revelations about the arrests of George Patterson and Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes, we saw the tragedy of what happens when we fail to hold police officers to a high standard of conduct. As documented by video tape, witness testimony, and forensics evidence, police arrested both individuals on dubious charges, used excessive force, and later lied about their conduct. Yet in both cases, the police officers involved were not properly disciplined for their behavior, creating the impression that police can violate citizens’ civil rights without clear consequences.
“The failure is not with our police accountability system, but with our City’s leadership. The Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), a Police Department agency staffed by police officers and a civilian Director, investigated both of these cases properly. It demonstrated that we can have thorough and impartial investigations of citizen allegations of police misconduct. But, as documented by the OPA Review Board and local newspapers, Seattle’s Chief of Police, Gil Kerlikowske, has undermined the OPA. He has improperly interfered in at least one investigation and overruled OPA-recommended discipline in order to exonerate police officers who engaged in misconduct or dishonesty. These are not isolated instances. Roughly 50 percent of all use of force complaints in Seattle are made by people of color. And there is a clear pattern of police who act wrongfully not being held accountable by the Department. During its first three and a half years, Chief Kerlikowske overturned 25 percent of all OPA discipline recommendations.
“We need leaders who understand that that real police accountability rewards good policing. We need leaders who can communicate that we improve the entire Police Department when we prevent a few officers from tarnishing its reputation.
“If elected to the Seattle City Council, I will provide the leadership that the Mayor and most of our current City Council have failed to provide. I am the only candidate in any race who supports Councilmember Nick Licata’s proposal to subject Police and Fire Chiefs to the same kind of periodic City Council review that all other City Department heads have. I am the only candidate who believes that Chief Kerlikowske needs to implement significant changes in how he handles OPA recommendations as a condition of his continued employment with the city. And I am the only candidate who believes that, if these reforms do not work, we should have an independent civilian review board modeled after the OPA but no longer subject to the Chief’s veto.”
****** For more information, contact: Campaign Headquarters Priority
Press Contact
Joe Szwaja, 206.420.1830
campaign@joeforcouncil.com
Gentry Lange, 206.498.3937
gentry@gentrylange.com