September 29, 2006

Strengthened Civilian Oversight of Sheriff’s Office Approved by Council Committee

Legislation Heads to Full County Council

Culminating eight months of intensive work to restore public trust in the handling of citizen complaints by the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Metropolitan King County Council’s Law, Justice and Human Services Committee yesterday approved and sent to the full Council proposed legislation that would create an independent Office of Law Enforcement Oversight with greater independence, auditing authority, and an option for voluntary mediation.

This is the culmination of work that started in January when Councilmember Ferguson and I realized that the current system to investigate misconduct in the Sheriff’s Office was inadequate. The Office of Law Enforcement Oversight will provide the people of King County with a window into the Sheriff's internal investigation process to ensure that it is thorough and fair.

It is important to recognize that over 90 percent of our deputies will likely never come in contact with this office. These deputies - like Sgt. Sydney Jackson who took me up in a Guardian One helicopter and Tony Palmer who has taken me out on ride alongs – serve the people of King County with dignity and honor. They risk their lives everyday to keep us safe in our neighborhoods, on rural roads, at sporting events, out on the water, and throughout King County. The people of King County have trust in their professionalism and honor.

Councilmember Ferguson and I co-sponsored the legislation approved yesterday in committee. We recently traveled to Los Angeles to view first-hand a model of successful civilian oversight. The committee has held nine meetings to consider sheriff’s oversight since January, receiving testimony from the King County Sheriff’s Office, King County Ombudsman, Seattle Police Department, and King County Auditor, among other officials, as well as a briefing from the Sheriff’s Blue Ribbon Panel, which was created to review internal systems that deal with employee misconduct and discipline within the Sheriff’s Office.

The proposed legislation would establish an Office of Law Enforcement Oversight that reports directly to the King County Council. The office would be responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct and to track, monitor and critique the Sheriff’s investigations of allegations. The office would present an annual report showing the results of complaint investigations. The Director of the Office, who would be appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the Council, would serve a four-year term and be subject to removal by a majority vote of the Council.

King County Executive Ron Sims yesterday announced that his 2007 Executive Proposed Budget will include $1.3 million to fund the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight as well as implementing some of the recommendations of the Sheriff’s Blue Ribbon Panel.

The Executive, the Council and the Sheriff’s Office all have the same goal: restoring the public’s trust that investigations into allegations of misconduct will be thorough and transparent. The old standards of investigation are outdated. The new standard protects the rights of both the public and the Sheriff’s Office.

This is a positive step towards restoring the trust that is vital in maintaining public safety.

The legislation now goes to the full King County Council, which is scheduled to take action on October 9.

As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Julia Patterson
King County Councilmember - District 5

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