After a decade-plus of police reform, Seattle seeks to end federal consent decree

(The Center Square) – Seattle has filed to end a federal consent decree imposed on the city's police department following a 2012 investigation that found evidence of biased policing.

The city has worked to be in full compliance with a 2012 court order that was sought by the U.S. Department of Justice following an investigation into the Seattle Police Department’s policies and practices at the time. The investigation found that 20% of the department’s serious use-of-force incidents were deemed unconstitutional.

The consent decree mandated the SPD improve its use of force, crowd management protocols, de-escalation policies and police accountability system.

Seattle was nearing full compliance with the consent decree requirements up until the mass protests of 2020, in which a federal monitor concluded that SPD did not follow the consent decree’s mandated use of force and de-escalation policies.

Since then, use of force has reportedly become a rare occurrence for the police department as Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes noted that out of the 8,305 crisis incidents that SPD officers responded to in 2024, only 1.33% involved any use of force, and just 0.17% of all dispatches involved force.

Multiple years of reviews by federal monitors and Seattle’s Office of Inspector General determined that SPD’s use of force is now rare, and the pattern of unconstitutional use of force that led to the consent decree has ended.

“Successfully completing all the requirements of the federal consent decree highlights the dedication and resilience of the entire Seattle Police Department, especially our frontline officers and our professional staff,” Barnes said in a statement.

The city established the Office of the Inspector General for Public Safety in 2018 to provide oversight of the police department and ensure use of force reforms were followed. The city also has the Office of Police Accountability, which is responsible for investigating complaints of Seattle Police Department employee misconduct.

In the last year and a half alone, the Seattle City Council has prioritized policing in the city, passing 14 pieces of legislation related to public safety since last year. That is a record number since 2015.

One key legislation was passed in February to move the city closer to ending the consent decree. The bill establishes restrictions on when available crowd-control technologies can be used, including blast balls, which are rubber devices that create a loud sound and bright flash, and can also contain tear gas.

“After more than 12 years and countless reforms within the Seattle Police Department, this step of requesting the consent decree be lifted marks a major milestone for both the department and our community,” Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle said.