Seattle police memo says department has met reform goals

SEATTLE – A Seattle police memo suggests the department has met its reform goals under a 2012 consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Seattle Times obtained the memo under a public disclosure request, along with an email Chief Kathleen O’Toole sent to her officers praising them for “real, measurable success” under the agreement, which was designed to address excessive force and biased policing.

The 47-page memo, written by two top aides, counters a report filed Friday by Merrick Bobb, the court-appointed monitor overseeing the reforms. That report said that despite a “great deal of progress,” Seattle police have not met some of the key requirements of the consent decree.

Ultimately U.S. District Judge James Robart will decide whether the department is in compliance with the agreement. Such a finding would be followed by a two-year period to show the reforms have taken hold.