A. Confirmation Documents 1. Memo from Mayor McGinn (below) 2. Notice of Appointment (below) 3. Oath of Office (below) 4. Resume 5. Confirmation Questions and Answers (below) 6. City Council Expectations for the Chief of Police (below)

B.Criminal History, Credit Review, and Education Verification

C. Record of Competitive Exam 1. Planning 2. Recruitment 3. Assessment (Diaz) 4. Candidate Material (Diaz)

**Note: Additional materials relating to other applicants for the Seattle Police Chief position
are on file and available for review in the Office of the City Clerk.

1. Memo from Mayor McGinn

Hand Deliver

July 13, 2010

The Honorable Richard Conlin

President, Seattle City Council

Seattle City Hall, 2nd Floor

Seattle, WA 98104

Dear President Conlin,

I am pleased to transmit to the City Council the following confirmation packet for my appointment of John A. Diaz as the Chief of the Seattle Police Department. The materials in this packet are divided into three sections:

A. John A. Diaz

This section contains Mr. Diaz's appointment and oath of office forms, and his resume.

B. Background Check

This section contains the Mayor's Office report on Mr. Diaz's background check.

C. Record of Competitive Exam

This section contains the records of the competitive examination used to select police chief finalists, as required by Article IV, Section 3 of the City Charter.

Interim Chief Diaz has an impressive record as an outstanding law enforcement professional. He began his career as a criminal investigator for the United States Army in 1977, became a sworn officer of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) in 1980 and has been with SPD for over 30 years. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has held supervisory and command responsibilities in the Gang Unit, East Precinct and Homicide and Assault. He has been instrumental in nearly every major policy initiative put forth by the department in the last 10 years.

During his tenure as Interim Chief of Police, the Department has faced and overcome immense challenges. Under his leadership, SPD detectives solved the South Park homicide, the Leschi homicide, the Greenwood arsons, arrested suspects for the murder of Officer Timothy Brenton, the attempted murder of Officer Britt Sweeney and the arson fire and explosions at the City's Charles Street garage. His detectives solved 20 out of 21 pattern robberies in 2009 and have increased coordination with the King County Prosecutor's Office so that repeat offenders will be dealt with severely. His department recently wrapped up a 6-month investigation as part of a renewed focus on protecting youth prostitute victims.

Interim Chief Diaz has recalibrated non-uniformed police officer deployment, such as SWAT and Anti-Crime Teams, who now deploy in uniform on Friday and Saturday nights to areas where people gather. His department is surveying every neighborhood in the city to determine what crime priorities they would like to see SPD address. Under his stewardship, SPD balanced its budget for five straight years and even returned some monies to the General Fund. We believe he is thoroughly qualified to serve as Police Chief.

If you have any questions about the attached materials or need additional information, please contact Carl Marquardt, Counsel to the Mayor, 684-0962.

Sincerely,

Michael McGinn

Mayor

Attachment: John A. Diaz confirmation documents

Copy: Honorable Members of the Seattle City Council

2. Notice of Appointment

City of Seattle Appointment

Notice of Appointment Name:John A. Diaz X Executive __ Legislative

Position: Chief of Police Date of Appointment: June 28, 2010

Authority (Ord., Res.):

Term of Office: From: Upon Confirmation To: Mayor's discretion Comments:

Authorizing Signature: Name and Title of Officer Making Appointments: Michael McGinn, Mayor

Confirmed by the Following Vote at City Council In Favor: Against: Date: By:

3.Oath of Office

City of Seattle

Oath of Office

STATE OF WASHINGTON

County of King,

I, John Diaz, confirm that I am the person appointed on June 28, 2010 to the position of Chief of Police, City of Seattle, in the State of Washington, and that I possess all the qualifications prescribed for said position by the Charter of the City of Seattle; that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Washington; and the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Seattle; and that I will faithfully conduct myself as Chief of Police for the City of Seattle.

_____________________________

(Signed)

Subscribed and sworn to before me

this _______ day of ____________, 2010

__________________________________

Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk

5. Confirmation Questions and Answers

Seattle City Council

MEMORANDUM

Date: July 8, 2010 /July 19, 2010

To: Interim Chief John Diaz / Seattle City Council Public Safety and Education Committee

From: Seattle City Council Public Safety and Education Committee / Interim Chief John Diaz

Re: Confirmation Hearing Questions / Responses to Confirmation Hearing Questions

Members of the City Council have prepared a number of questions for you to respond to in writing prior to the July 21, 2010 Public Safety and Education Committee meeting at which your appointment as Chief of Police will first be discussed. The response should be sent electronically to Councilmember Burgess by close of business on July 16, 2010. We anticipate that most Councilmembers will attend the July 21 committee meeting and that your answers to these and other questions will be the focus of the discussion. We also expect that the public will be interested in your responses to these questions. Thank you for your response.

1. In general, what do you think have been the most significant advances in the last ten or twenty years in police strategies for reducing crime* What do you think will be the most significant advances in the next ten years*

The policing profession has undergone sweeping changes in the past two decades and the Seattle Police Department has been among those on the leading edge of many of those changes. The changes that I would mention as having the greatest implications for reducing crime are the following:

* Community oriented policing -the transformation that has moved public safety from the exclusive domain of police experts to a shared responsibility with residents and stakeholders; Seattle City Council

MEMORANDUM

Date: July 8, 2010 /July 19, 2010

To: Interim Chief John Diaz / Seattle City Council Public Safety and Education Committee

From: Seattle City Council Public Safety and Education Committee / Interim Chief John Diaz

Re: Confirmation Hearing Questions / Responses to Confirmation Hearing Questions

Members of the City Council have prepared a number of questions for you to respond to in writing prior to the July 21, 2010 Public Safety and Education Committee meeting at which your appointment as Chief of Police will first be discussed. The response should be sent electronically to Councilmember Burgess by close of business on July 16, 2010. We anticipate that most Councilmembers will attend the July 21 committee meeting and that your answers to these and other questions will be the focus of the discussion. We also expect that the public will be interested in your responses to these questions. Thank you for your response.

1. In general, what do you think have been the most significant advances in the last ten or twenty years in police strategies for reducing crime* What do you think will be the most significant advances in the next ten years*

The policing profession has undergone sweeping changes in the past two decades and the Seattle Police Department has been among those on the leading edge of many of those changes. The changes that I would mention as having the greatest implications for reducing crime are the following:

* Community oriented policing -the transformation that has moved public safety from the exclusive domain of police experts to a shared responsibility with residents and stakeholders;

* COMSTAT -shorthand for the remarkable technological, communications, analytical and mapping developments that have assisted police agencies in making more effective deployment and intervention decisions;

* Strategic/proactive policing -focusing on the most active and prolific offenders at the most sensitive junctures of their criminal careers. An important feature of this approach has been the willingness of police professionals to embrace and champion alternatives to criminal justice system processing for many offenders and ex-offenders.

* CSI -another shorthand term for the dramatic advances in forensics and techniques for processing of crime scenes for evidence, which have permitted solutions to many crimes that would have gone unsolved and have exonerated persons wrongly accused.

* Accountability -a broad area of change that includes not only the opening up of police organizations to external scrutiny, but also the adoption of internal and external measures of performance in police operations.

The areas where I expect and hope to see advances in the next decade are as follows:

* Reassurance policing -shorthand for the need to address not only reported crime but also fear of crime. Police organizations are only beginning to understand how and why these two objectives differ from each other and the implications of these differences.

* Community linkages -the effective 21st century police agency will need a robust capacity to link effectively to social service, education, public health, employment and financial systems as well as other parts of the justice system. Stunning examples of the importance of such linkages not only to detect and prevent crime, but also to address its impacts can be found in cases of financial and physical exploitation of vulnerable adults.

* Forensic science -technologies in this area promise more precision in suspect identification, yet raise a host of public policy issues concerning health screening, expectations of privacy, access to personal identifying information, etc.

* Communications and analytical technologies -advances in communications will provide the public with better access to law enforcement and will ensure greater safety for officers in the field as well as keeping them better informed. We can also expect more routine and effective use of artificial intelligence and data mining tools to improve and inform police operations. As these advances will surely continue, the financial capacity to take advantage of them is less certain. The rapidity of changes in these areas also suggest the need to develop new procurement strategies for acquisition and ongoing maintenance of information technology within the public sector generally, not just in the law enforcement arena.

2. You have spent 30 years as a Seattle police officer, including several years as a member of the senior command staff. Please detail your personal and professional experiences and qualifications that have prepared you to be Seattle's Chief of Police.

Among the key personal and professional experiences and qualifications that have prepared me to be Seattle's Chief of Police, I would highlight the following:

* As the child of immigrants, I was raised to love this country and to value the many opportunities available here. My parents modeled the ethic to work hard, emphasizing modesty in one's accomplishments while being forthright in accepting responsibility for mistakes. At the same time, my family experience made me keenly aware of situations and circumstances where our society falls short of its lofty ideals, where persons are not treated fairly by virtue of their skin color, gender, heritage, language skills or economic condition, and where only barriers confront those who seek opportunity. My career in law enforcement, and my pursuit of this position in particular, have been driven, in part, by my determination to use my influence to change institutional narratives that unfairly stigmatize and undermine those in greatest need of society's help and protection.

* As a military veteran, I learned quickly that devotion to duty and to mission trumps any personal agenda or aspirations. In my view the mission of law enforcement -the safety and protection of the community is the noblest of any profession and deserving of the highest level of commitment and sacrifice.

* As a police officer in Seattle, I realized early in my career how important policing is for the most vulnerable in our society and how much of a difference individual officers can make in the lives of those they touch as well as in the quality of life in neighborhoods and the larger community. That is why I sought and took on increasing levels of responsibility in the Department; first, as a Patrol sergeant and then as the first Community Police Team sergeant in the Department; next, as an Operations Lieutenant; and finally, as a Captain, serving as commander of the Gang Unit as gang violence was taking root in the city, and then as commander of the East Precinct at a time when racial tensions were high.

* As a member of the Command Staff, I have commanded one of two Operations Bureaus and served as the Deputy Chief for Operations and for Administration for the entire Department. In these roles, I took on increasing responsibilities for policy development and implementation as well as for effective management of Department resources. Among the areas where I have focused attention in these assignments have been racial profiling, counter-terrorism, incident management and budget administration and control.

* As Interim Chief of Police for the last sixteen months, I have seen the Department through a rollercoaster of highs and lows: times of great sadness at the murder of one of our officers as well as times of elation at the skilled solution of serious crimes in our community; times of community embrace as well as of community criticism; times of unmatched pride in the creativity and accomplishments of our Department as well as times of meting out severe discipline for misconduct. Through it all, I believe I have provided steady and principled leadership to the men and women of the Seattle Police Department while charting a course for the organization that is resulting in consistent, professional and reliable public safety services for the city of Seattle.

Throughout my career, whenever the Seattle Police Department has been confronted with tough issues, I have been tapped repeatedly as a key point person to address them. I have taken on these assignments with skill and perseverance and, I might add, with considerable success. And, despite my many years in the Department, I have never lost my enthusiasm for the job, my abiding commitment to the Seattle community, nor my affection for the organization and for the men and women who are at its core. This is why I sought the position of Chief of Police and why I am eager to embrace its challenges and responsibilities.

3. You have served in an interim position since March 2009. If confirmed by the Council, do you expect to operate differently in your capacity as the permanent Chief of Police* Are there any policy or procedural matters you will change*

I am the same person now that I have been during my 30 year career in SPD, so the short answer is no: I will continue my commitment to integrity, accountability, service to our communities, fairness and effectiveness in the delivery of our public safety responsibilities.

When I assumed the role of interim chief, I was determined to move the organization forward. In my view, we had too many important initiatives in progress -Neighborhood Policing, Investigations Procedures, a host of technology projects, to name a few -to just mark time. I am proud to say that we have not lost momentum on any of these. On the contrary, we have achieved critical milestones in several areas and I am gratified by the results we are seeing -under 7 minute response time to Priority 1 calls as a consequence of our NPP staffing and deployment model and the roll-out of real-time crime incidents on My Neighborhood Maps are just two of the achievements I would mention.

As permanent Chief it will be my responsibility to ensure that the policies and procedures contained in our department manual reflect the highest standards of professionalism, efficacy and accountability. Our participation in the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation process requires us to submit our policies and procedures to a rigorous peer review, which we have done now at three intervals. It is a demanding process that involves intensive external and self examination. The fact that we are one of a small number of large metropolitan police departments that have completed this process and received accreditation attests to its rigor and demands.

External peer review, however, is only one part of the quality assurance that must attach to our policies and procedures. Policing is essentially a compact between law enforcement and the community being served; and the way public safety is achieved must be consistent with community values and expectations. Professional "best practices" will likely serve us well in many areas, but there will be other areas where such standards will not meet the expectations of those we serve. Our multi-level accountability structure, through the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), OPA Auditor and OPA Review Board, is an important means of ensuring not only that our policies and procedures meet community standards, but also that what we say is in harmony with what we do.

Perhaps the most significant initiative we will shortly undertake is the Department's next five-year strategic plan. The current strategic plan -SPD 2010 -remains one of our seminal policy and planning guideposts. It is fitting that as you deliberate on confirming a new Chief of Police, we have the opportunity to join with our communities to engage collectively in determining the near-term, strategic course of the Seattle Police Department.

The hallmark of my tenure as interim Chief has been unity of mission. I will continue to work to ensure that every sworn and civilian SPD professional knows and embraces our mission areas: fighting crime, reducing fear (through reassurance policing) and building community. And for every professional within the Seattle Police Department, the principles of service, effectiveness, transparency, accountability, equality and social justice will be our common language and shared values.

4. What are your top priorities for the Seattle Police Department through the end of 2011 and what is your plan to maintain appropriate funding of those priorities*

* As noted above, my priorities are clear and have been widely shared: fight crime, reduce fear (through reassurance policing), and build community. While the practical execution of these priorities is impacted by the Department budget, they are not totally contingent upon a precise funding level. Even in this difficult economic environment, we will answer calls for service, we will bring criminals to justice, and we will maintain our promise to address the public safety priorities of the citizens we serve.

* The Department has long organized its budget to meet functional priorities, which are known to, and regularly reviewed by, the City Council. The most fundamental of these priorities is to answer 911 calls for service, in an evenhanded and efficient manner, with 7 minutes emergency response time being the most basic benchmark. This is one of the cornerstones of the Neighborhood Policing Plan. Nothing short of economic collapse will jeopardize this most basic public safety priority. I am pleased to report that despite the fact that NPP has yet to be fully implemented, and even given the economic necessity to suspend the plan to hire ahead of vacancies in 2010, we are meeting our emergency response benchmark, and for the first six months of this year we have averaged six minute response to our highest priority calls. Even given the most dire budget scenarios, we will not retreat from this level of accomplishment, and we are developing contingency plans to maintain the progress we have made over the last several years.

* We have had to engage in "worst case scenario" analyses for both the 2010 and the coming biennial budgets. All our efforts have been focused on ensuring that our basic and essential mission will not be compromised in the face of the current economy. What we may have to suffer, in spite of our tireless efforts to the contrary, is the loss of services which are not in direct support of our essential mission. We are doing everything we can, to include scouring grant opportunities, to avoid these scenarios. Because these deliberations are not final at this time, and involve good and valued people caught in the midst of an unprecedented set of economic realities, I will not disclose our contingency plans at this time, because they have not been vetted through the Executive Office. Ultimately you will have the opportunity to review, agree/disagree, or recommend other alternatives.

* Our role as a city department is to propose and defend our budget, within the parameters dictated by real-world economic limitations. Our responsibility is to provide both the Mayor and Council with comprehensive, thoughtful, fact-based and objective analyses of our budget proposals and contingencies. And that is precisely what we are prepared to do.

* A lot of what we do does not require a line item in the City Budget: Reaching out to our neighborhoods, gathering the opinions and wisdom of leaders, community members and even -or especially -our critics, and engaging in joint strategic and tactical public safety planning with the people we serve, are not contingent upon a specific level of funding. These are basic to our operational identity.

5. Council Resolution 30996 provided for the issuance of an annual Department performance report to the Mayor and City Council. Based on the Department's 2009 Performance Report, which aspects of its performance would you seek to improve and how would you achieve these improvements*

I am pleased with much of our performance for 2009 and would seek improvement in our rate of clearance on major crimes in the 2010 report. We will achieve improvement as a result of the Investigations Procedures Project (profiled in more depth below in response to Question #6) that is thoroughly examining the investigations function within the Department.

6. The literature of policing and criminology is replete with examples of innovative policing strategies that have reduced crime, reduced community fear and improved public safety. These strategies include the Drug Market Initiative pioneered in Highpoint, North Carolina, Operation Ceasefire in Boston and other cities, illegal gun interdiction efforts, and efforts to target high frequency offenders. We applaud these types of creative, thinking-outside-the-box approaches. What steps will you take to make certain that our police department stays current with these and other best practices from other cities* Also, what in your view could we do to better coordinate at a regional level an effective response to major criminal enterprises* Please discuss the innovations and new strategies you will use in Seattle in the next 18 months to reduce crime and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Department. What would you do that we currently are not doing*

The Department is and will continue to be a critical participant in preventing crime, enforcing the law and delivering quality public safety service using both time-tested techniques as well as new and innovative strategies to identify those responsible for crime. Best available evidence suggests that myriad components of society must work together to prevent crime, assist those who want out of the crime life and hold the most serious offenders accountable.

Through the Investigations Procedures Committee Project, the Department is currently conducting a thorough review of the entire investigative process -literally going over every step that an officer or detective performs to initiate, conduct and close or complete a case investigation. The goal is to standardize every portion of the process to ensure the most successful outcomes possible for any investigation. This review has also resulted in better tracking of all incidents, including developing measures for aging cases that are received, assigned, inactivated or cleared and referred for prosecution. The review will enable the Department to measure both actual workload as well as performance at each procedural step in the investigative process in ways that are fairly unique in our profession.

The Department is always trying innovative approaches to crime and investigations. I would offer the following examples:

* The Department just completed a 12-month effort that focused regional resources on the 'gang' issue. The genesis for this effort originated with a single state grant awarded to 9 jurisdictions. The Seattle Police Department approached the grant with a regional, collaborative method, premised on the knowledge that gangs and individuals involved in violent gang behavior do not respect or care about city boundaries. Components of the Seattle regional effort included using overtime money from the grant to conduct joint/multi-agency patrols of areas or events that were likely to draw gang and youth-related violence in the region, not just the city; using grant money to save two detective positions and one gang officer position in Burien; and purchasing some equipment to increase efficiency of the investigations. The Gang Unit also worked closely with the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative to coordinate activities with street outreach workers and with School Emphasis Officers on gang prevention efforts. The program was successful enough that the State has asked that the City of Seattle re-apply and take the regional lead if a grant is awarded. Another facet of this effort involved creation of a simple, regional email for all of the regional gang detectives and related investigators to quickly share information. Gang Enforcement Tactical Enforcement Email, or GETEM for short, is used daily to ask questions about gang issues and prosecutions, and to alert regional agencies to potential problems.

* Another innovative program that also emphasizes a regional approach is focusing on rescuing prostituted youth involved in the sex trade and human trafficking. The Vice Unit, recognizing limited resources and the potential for declining prosecutions because of County budget issues, has directed its efforts toward the most predatory persons in the sex trade, the pimps. Some of the steps undertaken by the Unit include coordinating with local and federal prosecutors, meeting with regional and out-of-state police agencies conducting similar investigations, coordinating with the City of Seattle Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, assigning an assistant chief and a lieutenant to the working group and board of the recently-initiated recovery shelter for prostituted youth, and combining usually separate investigative units on a temporary basis for concerted investigations. The Vice Unit has been re-named the Vice/High Risk Victims Unit to emphasize this new focus. A recent six-month investigation just concluded has resulted in a number of pimps being identified and arrested for prostituting youth and young adults on 'The Track' in central Seattle.

* A third example of innovative and collaborative approaches to crime and alternatives to traditional criminal justice resolutions is the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or L.E.A.D. This effort, led by the Defender Association who requested that the Department take part, is focused on the diversion of low level, subsistence level drug users at time of arrest, to counseling/support services instead of being jailed and prosecuted at a greater expense. The Department is working closely with multiple local partners to perfect the approach with the hope of obtaining federal grant money as well as funding from the Ford Foundation.

* Underway at present is an effort by the Department, in conjunction with City and County prosecutors, to develop a systematic way of identifying the most prolific criminals in the region. Sound research has shown that 10 % of the criminals are responsible for about 40 to 50% of all reported crime. These persons -sometimes referred to as 'career criminals' -commit various crimes in numerous categories and cross many jurisdictional boundaries when doing so. The goals of the program will be to identify the most prolific career criminals, inform all officers in the region who they are, and then ensure that these persons are flagged for priority prosecutions and sentencing. This approach was tried very successfully in limited scope during the last four years dealing with vehicle thefts, and the results were very impressive. A current initiative focusing on burglars is also bearing fruit.

* Another initiative that the Department will be focusing on in the next 18 months is developing an actuarially-based risk assessment tool for domestic violence offenders. There is promising research suggesting that it is possible to identify those with a greater probability of re-engaging in violent behaviors. Ontario, Canada has developed a tool referred to as the Ontario Domestic Assault Assessment (ODARA) and they have seen success. The Assistant Chief of criminal investigations is working with the King County Prosecutor's office, the City Attorney's office, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy and others to develop a similar tool for use here.

The Department is always seeking information from other law enforcement agencies about approaches they use in their regions to address specific crime problems. Through the Major Cities Chiefs and similar organizations as well as the many professional groups that our commanders participate in, we learn about the efforts of others and are not too proud to borrow and elaborate on their ideas. We have also demonstrated our willingness to consider approaches that are departures from the traditional criminal justice system processes for many offenders. We will continue to be this kind of learning and collaborating organization.

7. You made statements during the Mayor's media conference announcing your appointment that the Seattle Police Department is one of the most innovative in the United States. You also said the Department is not particularly good at selling itself or promoting its accomplishments. Here's your chance to promote the Department's good work. What would you identify as the Department's most significant innovations in the past ten years* How have these innovations helped reduce crime or solve crimes committed in our city*

The Seattle Police Department has gone through some tremendous changes and innovations in the past decade. We continue to evolve as new technology and investigative techniques become available, with the goal of improving how we serve the community. We are constantly looking for innovative and new ideas that will assist us in our investigations. Here is just a sample of some of the innovations the Department has made in the last ten years:

* Accreditation. SPD has received national accreditation from Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2003 and went through the re-accreditation process in 2006 and 2009. We are one of only six major city departments to receive CALEA accreditation.

* Technology. Technology updates in the past 10 years include updated Mobile Data Computers, less lethal weapons options, in-car video cameras, red-light camera project, license plate recognition (LPR) program to identify stolen vehicles, and new records management and computer aided dispatch systems.

* Less Lethal and Crisis Intervention. The Department created a Less Lethal Options Program, training officers in best practices techniques, and increasing crisis intervention training to more than 40% of the patrol force.

* Neighborhood Corrections Initiative. A program pairing Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) personnel with SPD officers stressing proactive outreach to persons under DOC supervision. This model is now being extended to the mental health arena under a pilot project that pairs mental health professionals with SPD officers.

* Investigations. SPD created new units such as Crime Scene Investigation, Major Crimes Task Force, Elder Abuse and Exploitation Investigations, and Internet Crimes Against Children.

* Response to Catastrophic Events. SPD has been selected to model responses to specific terrorist incidents and scenarios through the TOPOFF and similar exercises. The City's emergency management response planning and execution operate out of the Department.

* Regional Leadership. In addition to the regional approaches detailed above, the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (in which SPD is a key player) is the most successful in the nation, responsible for thousands of arrests within the last decade.

* Accountability and Transparency. The Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) was created in 2001 and the accountability systems have evolved since that time. Monthly and annual reports of OPA activities are made available to the public online. In addition to that, more information about the Department, incident reports, and crime data are available online. Increasingly the Department is using its website and social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to keep the public informed of its activities.

* Research Collaborations. The Department has also opened itself through research collaborations. For example, we have undertaken projects with the University of Washington Medical School for review of our use of force incidents, and with Seattle University to examine patterns of offenses and operational responses to street crime in the West Precinct.

The advent of emerging technologies coupled with the dedication and hard work of professional officers and investigators has led to many crimes being solved. Cold case homicide investigations, DNA hits, the mining of computer databases and the partnerships we have fostered with other agencies and research partners, have all benefited from, and contributed to, these outcomes.

8. There has been some criticism that the Seattle Police Department has not fully embraced available technology to assist in policing. The recent launch of the interactive online crime map has garnered a lot of positive interest and feedback from the community. What other technological advances would you like to invest in* For example, many police departments across the United States use technology as a crime reduction tool and to help officers solve crimes. These efforts are often called Intelligence or Information Led Policing (ILP). Seattle has fallen behind in this area, specifically with regard to real-time crime reporting and analysis, identification of crime patterns and trends, and targeting of frequent offenders. The Department has a task force that is addressing this issue. Please provide a summary of the ILP issue: how you see technology improving the department's crime reduction results; the specific challenges for implementing; the steps to be taken to fully apply technology to achieve the Department's objectives; any additional tools and resources needed to make progress in this area*

The Department of Justice defines Intelligence-led policing (ILP) as a collaborative, enterprise-wide approach based on improved intelligence operations, community-oriented policing, and problem solving. Fundamentally, information + analysis = intelligence. Analysis is thoughtful contemplation that leads to conclusions and appropriate recommendations. For police departments to respond quickly and safely to emergent situations and to take proactive action, they must be able to effectively access available data, analyze it, and deliver actionable intelligence to decisionmakers across the organization. ILP will be an important part of our "road ahead."

We would differ on the manner in which our efforts in this area are characterized. Rather than an area in which we have "fallen behind," we would respectfully assert that all large police organizations are, to some degree, grappling with the challenges of deploying limited police resources most effectively. The technological prerequisites for ILP are very expensive, highly complex, and take a good bit of time to effectively integrate into the procedures of the agency. Nonetheless, we have embarked on this road with the acquisition and implementation of a new Records Management System (RMS) and Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD). These systems provide a very rich pool of information. However, as noted elsewhere in these responses, the learning curve entailed in training officers and other end users of these systems has been steeper than we would have liked.

We hope to solve this problem going forward by adopting a Business Intelligence model. Business Intelligence will ensure that police information from our primary operational systems (CAD and RMS) is systematically integrated and made available to all authorized users. It will assist officers, detectives, supervisors and commanders in identifying crime trends, apprehending criminals, and deploying resources most efficiently in real time. An additional capability will facilitate the automated analysis, reporting, and sharing of aggregate crime statistics down to the neighborhood level. Ultimately, we hope to make the fruits of these tools fully accessible to the public, expanding on our recent initiatives with online crime maps.

We expect this technology to improve our crime reduction efforts going forward by virtue of the following:

* Real-time crime reporting and analysis

* Faster detection of patterns and trends

* Targeting of frequent offenders

* Better deployment of officers to hot spots

* Reduced time to solve crimes

* More efficient use of overtime

* Single version of the facts

As mentioned above, the challenges awaiting this endeavor are several. Principal among these are:

* Law enforcement data is complex and easily misinterpreted. There is a need for significant training within the department, the City of Seattle, and the general population. As well, the data will need to be transformed and presented in ways meaningful to a nontechnical audience.

* Information has always been an important part of policing. It is a challenge to get useful information to the right people in real time.

* Improving the pace, quality, and focus of police response means providing interactive access to information on all platforms (desktops, mobile computers, and handheld devices).

The Department, working through its Technology Steering Committee, has already programmed significant resources toward the solution of these challenges, and additional resources will undoubtedly be needed, whether from grant sources or the City's general fund. We look forward to working with the Mayor and Council on these issues, in the proper context of budget deliberations.

9. Are you satisfied with the format and content of current internal Department crime reporting* Do these reports provide senior staff and commanders information that allows them to respond effectively to developing crime patterns in the city* Will you commit to establish a standardized format for reporting out monthly statistics on Part 1 crimes both citywide and by precinct and make these reports available to Department staff, elected officials and the public*

Crime reporting by the Department has undergone significant changes in the past two years and more changes are still to come. At this point we are able to provide statistics on Part I crimes at the citywide, precinct, sector and beat levels on a monthly basis. These are posted on the Department website. The data are generally lagged a month, a consequence of the need to verify that each incident meets the criteria for classification in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system maintained by the FBI, to which we report.

In light of this unavoidable time lag for Part I crimes, the Department sought an alternative method of informing the public about crime incidents, closer to the time of their occurrence. This alternative was launched recently through the My Neighborhood Maps feature of the city website, linked to SPD. It provides users with the ability to see reported crime incidents within 6-12 hours of their occurrence in most cases, and maps them according to the user's specifications. With this feature, the public can gain a "real time" sense of crimes that are occurring, whereas the Part I reporting structure provides a look at major crimes over a longer period of time.

By January of 2012 the Department is required to have transitioned from the UCR framework for crime reporting to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The major difference between the two systems is that NIBRS records all crimes that may be involved in a single incident, whereas the UCR counts only the most serious crime that occurred. In that sense, NIBRS is thought to provide a truer picture of crime. NIBRS also has some different ways of classifying and reporting on criminal incidents. As part of this transition, the Department will report both UCR and NIBRS data for a year or two, but will then revert to the NIBRS format exclusively.

In light of the known transition to NIBRS, the Department has delayed finalizing the format and content of both internal and external crime reporting systems. The transition will be accompanied by a public education process to ensure that the new reporting structure can be understood.

10. Street crime and disorder creates fear, harms local retail businesses, causes residents to stay indoors or avoid certain neighborhoods, and contributes to an overall feeling of unease. Please state your assessment of the level of street crime and disorder, including crime related to drug trafficking, in Seattle and particularly in the West Precinct. List the specific strategies and tactics you will employ as Chief of Police to reduce these types of crime, especially in our neighborhood business districts and downtown.

My discussions with police chiefs from other metropolitan areas indicate that the problems with street crime and disorder and with open air drug activity that we face here in Seattle, are not unique. Unfortunately, none of these executives has developed any magic solution or perfect remedies for dealing with these issues. One non-law enforcement approach that we are taking and that others are watching with interest involves our research partnership with the Department of Criminal Justice at Seattle University.

In this project, we are sharing arrest, calls for service and crime incident data with University faculty members who are examining it from a variety of analytical perspectives. Through this project we expect to gain a clearer picture of persons being arrested in the downtown core, how and why they arrived there, and the frequency with which they have had police contact. The researchers are also trying to assess the effectiveness of various police actions/emphases that occurred during the period of their analyses. This project may also help us address some issues that are presently open to much conjecture and contention, for example: are offenders drawn to an area because criminal activity is concentrated there, or does criminal activity locate in order to target or take advantage of a concentration of offenders* Even partial answers to these and similar questions will advance our understanding of disorder problems and our capacity to address them.

With respect to the specific strategies and tactics the Department is using currently to address these types of crimes, we are pursuing efforts in three separate areas: Enforcement, Prevention/Presence and Community Involvement.

Enforcement It is often said that we cannot "arrest our way out" of many of the crime problems we face in our business districts, particularly within the West Precinct. That is absolutely true, but it is also true that law enforcement remains a very necessary part of any strategy to address these problems. In order to send a clear message about what will and what will not be tolerated, a strategic enforcement plan must be put into place. Such a plan must be reasonable in its approach and focused on addressing certain types of offenses, rather than simply developing a "no tolerance" policy. Such enforcement would include, but not be limited to:

* Enforcement/targeting open air drug dealing, since such activity creates fear in many of our communities.

* Enforcement/targeting open air prostitution activity, with an emphasis on protecting and providing resources to young people who are trapped and victimized by adult pimps.

* Partnerships with area nightclub establishments to address criminal activity (especially crimes of violence) that compromises a vibrant and safe nightlife.

* Directed investigation and enforcement, through datadriven strategies, to specific kinds of crimes, e.g. street robberies, as they occur.

* Continued partnership with the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) through the Neighborhood Corrections Initiative (NCI) to focus on persons under DOC supervision.

* Strategic use of Department specialty positions, federal law enforcement partners and neighboring law enforcement agencies as situations warrant; for example, the use of Gang Unit detectives as an additional resource for occasions known to draw gang members.

Prevention/Presence. As stated above, we cannot arrest our way out of many of the street-related problems impacting our downtown and neighborhood business districts. A solid prevention/presence strategy is also very important both to prevent crime from occurring, and to reduce the fear of crime from those living, working and visiting these areas. Such a strategy includes highly visible, directed patrol and presence, utilizing the combined strengths of vehicle, foot and bicycle units. We are already employing this strategy but continue to look at models in use elsewhere to get more ideas on how best to deploy such resources. We also recognize the need to hone more sharply our use of the prevention/presence approach. In particular we are developing improvements and refinements in the following areas:

* Ensuring that officers engaged in emphasis patrol not only know and understand the problems they are expected to confront, but also are guided by clearly established tactics on how that will be done.

* Creating a mechanism, particularly within patrol, to monitor the time officers spend outside of their vehicles making contact with area businesses, schools and social service agencies.

* Ensuring that preventive patrols and enforcement activities are conducted in finite areas in which greater impact can be demonstrated. As a corollary to this, ensuring that as the problem moves, our emphases move with it as both data and anecdotal evidence suggest.

* Building better avenues of communication and information sharing between patrol and specialty units within the Department to address these problems.

Community Involvement. In addition to the Department's enforcement and prevention/presence efforts, the community must be involved from the beginning in order to address street disorder issues. Community involvement strategies include, but are not limited to:

* Enhancing existing partnerships and/or developing new ones with schools, social service and faith-based organizations, who work closely with those considered disenfranchised.

* Continuing education on crime prevention and resistance for the community, including how to protect their homes and businesses, how to stay organized and connected within their communities, and the importance of ensuring that police are notified to investigate nuisance, suspicious and criminal activity.

* Enlisting the support of the Department's demographic advisory councils, citywide crime prevention councils, and precinct advisory councils to build consensus for coordinated efforts to address street disorder problems that go beyond law enforcement responses.

* Soliciting the assistance from those most impacted in the community for their ideas and direct help in confronting the variety of public health and safety issues related to street disorder problems.

11. Seattle has a high per capita property crime rate (burglary, theft, auto theft) compared to other cities of our size. What steps will you take to reduce property crime*

Like most chronic crimes that occur throughout the city, it is a small group of people who commit the majority of property-related crimes. This is particularly true as it pertains to burglary and auto theft related incidents. A few years ago Seattle had the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest incidences of auto theft in the country. Through a number of strategies, many of which will be outlined below, we were able to see a significant decrease in auto theft not only in Seattle, but throughout the region. Strategies to address property crime would include, but not be limited to:

* Directed investigation and enforcement, through data-driven strategies, to specific kinds of crimes and crime patterns, be they burglaries, auto thefts or car prowls.

* Strategic use of Department specialty positions, federal law enforcement partners and neighboring law enforcement agencies; for example, to address theft rings that operate across jurisdictional boundaries.

* Because narcotics has an often-related nexus to property crimes, take advantage of those opportunities when drug arrests are made to have detectives immediately interview suspects to determine what, if any, information they can provide as it relates to their own personal involvement or the involvement of others in criminal activity.

* Take aggressive enforcement actions, in cooperation with the prosecutor's office, to get the most prolific offenders off the street.

* Utilize creative operations; for example, undercover stings and other strategies, to take down organized criminal operations involved in property related crimes.

* Provide community members with crime prevention information so they will know how to protect their homes and businesses and themselves from victimization, including issuing bulletins based on observed crime patterns.

* Encourage community members to notify police about nuisance/suspicious situations, as these may be precursors to criminal activity.

* Work closely with the Department's demographic advisory councils, citywide crime prevention councils, and precinct advisory councils as key elements of these last two strategies.

12. The Seattle Police Department faces several years of stagnant or shrinking budgets. Given these constraints, what are your functional priorities for funding within the Department* How can the Department be creative with its budget and how can it be more efficient while not losing valued services*

* In the interest of keeping this complex issue in perspective, it is important to remember that the Department has a $252 million general fund budget, which represents 27% of the entire general fund. With this level of support, the Department accomplishes a great deal in preventing crime, enforcing the law, and providing high-quality public safety services in a manner respectful of all with whom we deal on a daily basis, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

* The two most ambitious and transformational projects in our recent history -the Neighborhood Policing Plan and the Investigations Procedures Project -are about achieving efficiencies. The starting point of any efficient business model is to even out workload, identify redundancies, prioritize activities according to service objectives, and staff to the patterns of work that needs to be done. This is precisely what both NPP and the Investigations Project seek to do, and continue to achieve. Examples of improved deployment before and after NPP abound, and we have not yet explored the depths of what is possible in NPP. The Investigations Project is in its initial phases, but our analyses show that even at this early stage, substantial efficiencies are achievable. This is consistent with our goal of deploying our limited resources in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

* The replacement of our Records Management System (RMS) and Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD) during the last two years has the promise of streamlining the data management functions of the Department, while at the same time significantly improving our ability to link information to target offenders and diagnose patterns of crime.

* The most important tenet of efficiency is to not waste anyone's time. This means ensuring that our sworn and civilian professionals are employed doing important business, addressing public safety challenges that matter to people, and fighting crime with the utmost efficacy. All our efforts over the last several years -from NPP, to the Neighborhood View Point, to the creation of CSI, to the recent launch of My Neighborhood Maps, to the Investigations Project, to the use of Leads Online and NWLInX to assist detectives, to implementation of Community Online Reporting (residents filing police reports using secure web service in some crimes, e.g. bicycle theft) have represented our efforts to identify and solve the real public safety problems that matter most to our communities, while achieving the efficiency we all seek.

13. A strategic hiring plan for the Seattle Police Department was adopted by the City Council in 2007 so a Neighborhood Policing Plan (NPP) could be implemented. The hiring plan calls for a net increase of 21 patrol officers in each of five years through 2012 to bring the department up to minimum staffing levels. The hiring goal was met in 2008 and 2009, but will not be achieved in 2010 because Mayor McGinn has slowed officer hiring to maintenance levels only. Do you believe the hiring plan approved in 2007 is necessary and should it be continued through 2012*

* There is widespread consensus that completion of the NPP hiring plan is necessary to achieve our public safety objectives. These officers are essential to our efforts to reduce crime and the fear associated with crime while enhancing public trust in our officers and the Department.

* We recognize that the City's finances are currently under stress. The 2010 mid-year budget adjustments and, potentially, budget decisions for 2011 may delay our attainment of hiring targets. The NPP itself recognized the possibility of delays in hiring. "The initiative's goal is to achieve its hiring targets in five years, but we recognize that budget realities may force a delay in the plan. If economic growth slows . . ., then the timeline for implementing the hiring targets will be extended. The extension would be for as short a period as affordable, but would not extend the initiative beyond ten years." (NPP, page 23)

* At this point in time, we have hired about 60 percent of the 105 net new patrol officers envisioned by the NPP. As examined in more detail below, NPP cannot be reduced to a mere numbers game, as the plan always contemplated the need for realignments based upon performance outcomes and economic realities. Consequently, it is not productive to view hiring tempo as an "either/or" phenomenon, nor to argue that NPP does not exist unless and until a specific hiring goal is reached. Obviously, we continue to support the hiring of more officers, but not at any cost. The best way to understand the current status of NPP staffing is through the concept of proportionality, in which we have essentially met certain key goals (e.g. response time, reduce cross-sector dispatch); we have made progress with respect to proactive time, though we have much left to do; and we are only half-way to meeting other goals, such as full implementation of the power shift.

* As changes in the hiring plan for NPP occur, we will remain vigilant to ensure that we are sustaining progress in meeting our response time and other deployment benchmarks. Long-term sustainment of the benefits of NPP remains our goal and if there is evidence that this may be in jeopardy, we will move to address it.

14. NPP has several key components, including realignment of precinct and patrol beat boundaries to better reflect work load demands and patterns; new shifts that allow for deployment of officers when and where most needed; a new "power shift" Wednesday through Sunday nights to bolster the number of patrol officers in the city's entertainment districts and hot-spots; provision of a minimum of ten patrol units (two per precinct) available 24/7 for emergency response and officer safety backup; and dedication of at least 30% of patrol officers' shift time to proactive policing. Please describe the implementation status of the Neighborhood Policing Plan and your perspective on moving forward with it. How much of the plan has been implemented* Do we need to have additional hires to fully implement and make sure we are patrolling the right areas at the right times* If we do not make additional hires, how will the Department provide focused coverage such as that provided under the recent Belltown public safety initiative without depleting patrol resources in other areas or precincts* Do you continue to support full implementation of the NPP* If yes, what steps will you take to make certain NPP is indeed fully implemented* Explain any revisions you favor that would allow NPP to go forward but with different assumptions about the key components.

* SPD has made excellent progress implementing major elements of the NPP. There is an unfortunate false perception that NPP implementation is an all or nothing proposition where no progress can be observed until a "magic number" of patrol officers is attained. Major achievements to date include:

1. the new system of patrol sectors and beats has created a significant improvement in balancing staffing to workload by time of day and day of week;

2. emergency response times to 9-1-1 calls for service have consistently averaged under 7 minutes in each of the first six months of 2010 (averaging 6 minutes through June);

3. cross-sector dispatch has decreased significantly, allowing officers to remain in their assigned areas and become more familiar with the community and its safetyrelated problems. This reinforces the underlying philosophical premise of the neighborhood policing concept and enhances community satisfaction with police services;

4. patrol management reports are now being used by precinct commanders and supervisors to enhance the productivity of patrol officers; and

5. recent initiation of Neighborhood View Point (NVP) community surveys will provide important information to inform proactive policing efforts as we proceed with implementation.

* We remain fully supportive of the published NPP. Three major elements remain prior to full implementation of the plan:

1. complete the hiring plan for 105 net new patrol officers;

2. initiate new work schedules and shifts, addressing the problems during the late morning hours and from Wednesday through Saturday nights; and

3. capture the full benefits of 30% proactive time, as described below in our response to question 15.

* Per the possible delay in hiring additional NPP officers as a consequence of the economic slowdown, SPD has been working over the past several months to identify options to make the best use of new patrol officers hired to date and thereby lessen the impact of the slowdown on our ability to fully staff patrol. These options all have collective bargaining impacts, so they should not be discussed in this setting.

15. One NPP goal is to give substantial time for proactive work to 911 patrol officers. In your view, how important is it for 911 patrol officers to have time for proactive work, as opposed to creating time for proactive work by other units in the precincts (such as anti-crime teams, community police teams and bicycle and foot patrols) or by citywide specialized units (such as investigations and the gang unit)* What is the value of each* How would you ensure that 911 patrol officers make good use of the time they have available for purposeful proactive work and how would you define and measure effectiveness*

* Having 30% of patrol officers' time available for supervised proactive work with members of the community is a critical component of the NPP, following from the first major goal set forth in SPD 2010, the Department's strategic plan -strengthen geographic integrity. Citizen confidence in their police will grow and both crime and fear of crime will decline as assigned patrol officers have the time to get out of their cars, really get to know the people of the community and their issues, and work together with them to resolve any outstanding safety concerns.

* The NPP envisions proactive time as something more than "time not spent on calls for service." Instead "proactive time" under the NPP is time spent engaged in focused and purposeful activities with defined outcomes. The good news is that as our fielded strength has improved, the NPP model appears to be yielding enough officer time with the potential to be directed to proactive efforts. What remains is to determine how regularly that time can be made available and in what segments or blocks, and how those units of time can be matched with focused and purposeful proactive projects.

* The Department is currently developing a consistent model for managing and evaluating supervised proactive work. Called Neighborhood View Point (NVP), a community assessment and engagement tool, this methodology will help us structure proactive efforts and evaluate their results. What we learn from the pilot now underway, which will be completed in the next few months, will provide a basis for developing the broader protocols and work routines to guide proactive efforts across the city, as well as for structuring the training component for officers and first-line supervisors in how to undertake, log and track proactive efforts. Effectiveness measures will include objective crime data and results from our community surveys.

* As outlined in succeeding bullets, a variety of specialized officers also undertake proactive work. However, many of these specialized officers do not have a defined geographic or neighborhood locus and cannot very well substitute for the role of the generalist patrol officers in engaging with the community and its problems. One partial exception to this is the foot beat and bike officers assigned to the precincts. They have less mobility than officers in cars and typically are assigned to smaller geographic areas. This lends itself well to proactive mission work, with very positive effects. At the same time, given their reduced mobility, they are less adaptable and only assist with 9-1-1 calls to a limited degree.

* Proactive work by other specialized units in the precinct, although it may augment the proactive work of the 9-1-1 responders, cannot replace it. In particular, Community Police Team (CPT) officers have a precinct-wide focus and can best provide mentoring, referrals, and advice to patrol officers as they develop proactive projects responsive to neighborhood concerns. Anti-Crime Team (ACT) officers typically serve the precinct commander by focusing on tough law enforcement problems, especially open-air drug markets or other emergent issues calling for a coordinated team response, such as the late-June emphasis in Belltown.

* The work of specialized citywide proactive units that appear in particular neighborhoods periodically, such as the Gangs and Narcotics units, while helpful in addressing selected problems, will not have the same overall effect that regularly assigned generalist patrol officers can achieve by routine engagement with members of the community.

* In sum, the variety of generalist and specialized officers available for work on proactive needs gives the Department options for addressing chronic and/or emergent problems, such as those evident in the recent Belltown deployment, that bear critically on crime, fear of crime, and the community's confidence in the Department, its officers and leadership.

16. Some police departments employ civilians with backgrounds and education in statistics and analysis modeling to serve as crime analysts, freeing police officers to perform duties which require sworn officer authority. Do you support converting all or some crime analyst positions to civilian positions* Do you believe the Department has adequate staff positions in the area of crime analysis*

The question you ask is specifically related to ongoing budget planning. We are comprehensively evaluating the functional priorities for the police services that we provide in light of declining general fund resources. Several different scenarios are contemplated to meet goals set for our Department. The impacts of these scenarios would likely require negotiations with the affected collective bargaining group(s). As a result, I will be unable to discuss specific details of the budget process at this time.

17. Pedestrian and bicyclist safety has been a long-standing priority of the City Council. What policies, techniques or processes do you plan to carry out to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety in our city*

Pedestrian and bicycle safety has been and will remain a priority for the Seattle Police Department. There are four major pieces that comprise our continuing emphasis in this area: public education, cooperation with other public agencies, community engagement, and police enforcement activities.

* Public education: in many ways this is the lynchpin of successful pedestrian and bicycle safety efforts. Working in partnership with the Pedestrian Master Plan team convened by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), SPD supported public education initiatives to reinforce the efforts of the School District and not-for-profits to get the word out on how to be a responsible pedestrian, cyclist, and/or driver sharing the public right of way. Also, and in addition to a long tradition of distributing brochures to communicate our safety messages through community groups, libraries, etc., we plan to make use of the SPD web site and social media to develop and consistently reinforce safety messages for pedestrians and bicyclists. Our enforcement efforts, such as the periodic sting operations that target drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks, also have an educational component exercised by inviting media coverage.

* Work with other public agencies: SPD is well aware that we cannot "do it all" when it comes to any safety emphasis; rather, we attempt to leverage the efforts of other public agencies who share our safety mission. In addition to the partnership work on the Pedestrian Master Plan, SPD regularly works with SDOT on the development of safety-enhancing improvements, such as the installation of crosswalks, signage, lights, etc., and the development of bicycle lanes and share rows. We also routinely partner with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, successfully applying for funding to support police emphasis operations targeting speeders and those driving impaired, in areas shown to present hazards to pedestrians and bicyclists.

* Community engagement: SPD has consistently attempted to reach out to the community on pedestrian safety issues. We have worked with a variety of community organizations not only for their ideas and input, but also for their assistance in getting the message out to their constituents. Organizations like chambers of commerce, crime prevention councils, and other special interest groups are particularly helpful. We also have conducted focus groups on areas where we know we have problems, such as jaywalking. We continue to distill lessons from these groups, with the intent of enhancing public understanding, police training and tactics for handling these situations. We acknowledge that we have more work to do here.

* Police enforcement: We recognize that our enforcement efforts targeting pedestrian and bicycle safety can only be successful to the degree that we have partnered with others to develop consensus that our efforts do, indeed, "make sense" as safety enhancements. In this area, we currently have two traffic squads assigned to West Precinct that regularly deploy to monitor and enforce violations against drivers, pedestrians, and bikes in downtown areas where there are heavy volumes of all three sharing rights of way. Also, based in part on citizen complaints, we annually conduct seven to ten "sting" operations targeting drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. Our automated enforcement efforts, employing red light cameras and photo radar, are sited in areas, including school zones, where there are significant hazards to pedestrians.

18. Do labor contract provisions constrain you in taking steps to improve Department effectiveness and efficiency* For example, can you, under current contracts, shift more patrol officers (cars/walk/bike) to the 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift and if not, what are your options for adjusting schedules*

As with certain other questions in this memorandum, the issues here contemplate mandatory subjects of collective bargaining, and relate to ongoing budget planning. Collective bargaining obligations are matters prescribed in law, and the labor contracts we negotiate become ordinances. Hence, it is more fitting to characterize shift start and end times as being "governed by" legally binding labor contracts. We are comprehensively evaluating the functional priorities for the police services that we provide in light of declining general fund resources. Several different scenarios are contemplated to meet goals set for our Department. The impacts of these scenarios would likely require negotiations with the affected collective bargaining group(s). As a result, I will be unable to discuss specific details of the budget process at this time.

19. Do labor contract provisions inhibit your ability to be responsive to concerns of minority communities and others about how the Department can maintain and improve its systems of police accountability* What approaches will you take to ensure the operation of these systems is as effective as possible*

Labor contract provisions involve wages, benefits and working conditions, and do not inhibit our ability to respond to community concerns regarding our systems of police accountability. Contractual provisions may, however, limit the actions the Department can take with regard to specific suggestions for change, if they fall into areas that by law are negotiable with bargaining units.

In general, the Department has a long history of community engagement and of responding to the concerns of diverse groups throughout Seattle and this will continue to be a priority. As noted in the March 2009 Office of Professional Accountability Auditor's Report on SPD's Relationship with Diverse Communities, "The Department has devoted significant resources and innovation to improve its relationship with the larger community and to address public concerns about biased policing."

Among the specific initiatives the Department has undertaken in this area are the following:

* Policy development , including the issuance of an Unbiased Policing Policy, Inquiries into Immigration Status Policy and Citizen Observation of Officers Policy. A number of police agencies have encountered serious problems in some of these areas that, it is my belief, early policy development helped us avoid.

* Community assessments , including biennial community surveys on policing and regular 911 customer service surveys.

* Race and Social Justice Initiative efforts , including traffic stop analyses, in-car video, WMBE purchasing and contracting efforts, and Department wide training on Perspectives on Profiling and RSJI Change Team and others receiving training on Race: The Power of An Illusion.

* Community needs assessments , through Community Police Teams, Precinct and Demographic Advisory Councils, and Neighborhood Viewpoint Pilot Project.

* Community outreach , through Community and Youth Police Academies, Department advisory councils, and other community programs such as Night Out. The Office of Professional Accountability Review Board (OPARB) also conducts public outreach in coordination with the OPA and Auditor, bringing community concerns to the attention of the Department.

These are all worthwhile and earnest efforts, but I recognize that for many, they remain insufficient to address their concerns. My pledge is to continue to listen and to work steadfastly to lead the Department in new directions that can result in greater understanding and building of trust in the diverse communities we serve.

20. Recent analysis by the City Auditor and Department investigators shows that bias crimes (malicious harassment) continue to hit certain segments of our community hard and, indeed, some community advocates argue that Department bias crime statistics are incomplete and fail to account for all the incidents taking place. What specific actions have you taken, or will you take, to respond to bias crimes*

We agree that it is important to accurately capture not only data pertaining to bias crimes, but also data regarding bias incidents. We have taken steps to better capture both types of events, specifically:

* We added a mandatory field in the Records Management System, which requires the officer to check Yes or No as to whether the incident is an incident of bias. This enables the Department to do a quick run for bias incidents to begin the verification/analysis of incidents.

* In May 2009, a Department directive was issued so officers would begin to document bias incidents even when no crime occurred.

* A training video on the investigation and reporting of bias crimes and bias incidents is updated and published annually, the most recent release being within the last 60 days.

The Department has had a very thorough and formal response protocol to bias crimes since approximately 1990. The main requirements/elements of the policy (SPD Manual Section 15.120) are, as follows:

* The incident will be handled on a priority basis.

* A patrol supervisor must respond to the scene.

* A patrol commander will be notified and respond if necessary.

* Media Response Unit will be notified

* Investigation will focus on physical evidence, its documentation and collection

* Alert distribution of pertinent reports to:

o A/C Patrol Ops

o A/C Investigations

o Violent Crimes Captain

o Homicide Lieutenant

o Media Response Unit

o Bias Crime Coordinator

* A Bias Crimes Coordinator was established contemporaneously with this policy as noted in Subsection 1.110 of the relevant Manual section.

Do you have specific plans to communicate with and make use of community partners to address the problem of bias crimes*

Although we can make use of our ten demographic advisory councils to assist with outreach and educational efforts, we are excited about the potential of working with Seattle Office of Civil Rights (SOCR), Seattle Human Rights Commission (SHRC), and the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual Transgendered Commission, with particular focus on the latter. The analysis we did in the recent "2009 Bias Crimes and Bias Incidents Synopsis" shows that sexual orientation is by far the most frequently targeted area for both reported incidents as well as crimes. That being the case, we feel that efforts related to education and prevention should begin with groups representing these persons.

Also, as part of the recent analysis, the Auditor offered a number of follow-up recommendations. Do you support the Auditor's recommendation that the Department create a city-wide bias crimes coordinator position and expand the Department's victim advocate's duties to include malicious harassment and will you include these changes in your 2011 budget submission*

We have had an SPD city-wide bias crimes coordinator for some time, but we would support the appointment of a non-SPD coordinator (presumably from SOCR or SHRC) to expand the city's efforts as it relates to outreach, education, and prevention. As the Auditor and Ken Molsberry point out, "SPD can only be part of the solution." This would also provide an alternative to filing a report with SPD.

We currently do not anticipate expanding victim advocate duties to include malicious harassment. Although we provide advocate services on a case-by-case basis, we are currently struggling to preserve the services we provide to victims/family members in Homicide, Robbery, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse cases and do not anticipate adding a budgeted position for a Bias Crimes victim advocate.

During a Council committee briefing on the Auditor's recent work, it was indicated that the Department would follow up with quarterly reports on bias crimes. How does the Department plan to do this and what will the reports look like*

The Violent Crimes Section Commander has created a new report which provides an analysis of both geographical distribution as well as bias categories. A report covering 2009 has been completed and another covering the first six months of 2010 is nearly finished. We intend to share these reports with SOCR, SHRC, and others.

21. There have been numerous reports that the Department is considering elimination of its crime prevention specialists. What is your opinion on these positions* How might the work of crime prevention specialists and the function of crime prevention in general be modified or better coordinated among city departments* Regardless of any decision about the crime prevention specialists, what is your opinion about how the Department should work to prevent crime and reduce fear of crime and what strategies should the Department employ to do so*

I want to be clear that I value the work of each of our public safety sworn and civilian professionals, and I would rather not have to contemplate the reduction of a single staff position in this Department. Both our Crime Prevention Coordinators and Victim Advocates have made important contributions to our public safety mission and to the citizens we serve. I value their work, and I value them as people. We are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions, not of our making, but requiring us as stewards of public funds to exercise fiscal restraint and make difficult decisions. These decisions are integral to my role as Chief. As with previous questions of this kind, I must reiterate that the question you ask is specifically related to ongoing budget planning. We are comprehensively evaluating the functional priorities for the police services that we provide in light of declining general fund resources. Several different scenarios are contemplated to meet goals set for our Department. The impacts of these scenarios would likely require negotiations with the affected collective bargaining group(s). As a result, I will be unable to discuss specific details of the budget process at this time. I cannot disclose our contingency plans at this time, because they have not been vetted through the Executive Office. Ultimately you will have the opportunity to review, agree/disagree, or recommend other alternatives.

22. There have also been reports that the Department is considering elimination of its victim advocates. What is your opinion about the value and role of victim advocates*

As with Question 21, I want to be clear that I value the work of each of our public safety sworn and civilian professionals, and I would rather not have to contemplate the reduction of a single staff position in this Department. Both our Crime Prevention Coordinators and Victim Advocates have made important contributions to our public safety mission and to the citizens we serve. I value their work, and I value them as people. We are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions, not of our making, but requiring us as stewards of public funds to exercise fiscal restraint and make difficult decisions. These decisions are integral to my role as Chief. As with previous questions of this kind, I must reiterate that the question you ask is specifically related to ongoing budget planning. We are comprehensively evaluating the functional priorities for the police services that we provide in light of declining general fund resources. Several different scenarios are contemplated to meet goals set for our Department. The impacts of these scenarios would likely require negotiations with the affected collective bargaining group(s). As a result, I will be unable to discuss specific details of the budget process at this time. I cannot disclose our contingency plans at this time, because they have not been vetted through the Executive Office. Ultimately you will have the opportunity to review, agree/disagree, or recommend other alternatives.

23. The City used to have a Community Service Officer (CSO) program that employed civilians to perform a variety of tasks that did not require sworn police officers. Would you favor restoration of this program*

Again, the question you ask is specifically related to ongoing budget planning. While this program was eliminated in previous budgets during economic shortfalls of lesser magnitude than the current crisis, we are comprehensively evaluating the functional priorities for the police services that we provide in light of declining general fund resources. Given current economic conditions, it is unlikely the Department would contemplate establishing new programs and/or restoring former ones. Several different scenarios are contemplated to meet goals set for our Department. The impacts of these scenarios would likely require negotiations with the affected collective bargaining group(s). As a result, I will be unable to discuss specific details of the budget process at this time. I will not disclose our contingency plans at this time, because they have not been vetted through the Executive Office. Ultimately you will have the opportunity to review, agree/disagree, or recommend other alternatives.

24. Appropriate intervention techniques and use of force continue to be debated. Police officers interact with people in varying states of crisis, including those who are homeless and/or suffering from mental health distress. Please describe specific actions you have taken, or will take, to support positive interactions and outcomes when police engage with homeless and/or mentally ill individuals. Is there more that the City and the Department can do, including greater collaboration with social service providers, to improve our handling of these situations*

The Department is in the forefront of law enforcement agencies in dealing with persons confronting a variety of crises. The Department's actions in this area include the following:

* Broad expansion of the number of Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) officers in Patrol, now more than 40% of the patrol officers, as a component of the Department's Less Lethal Options Program.

* Previous and ongoing involvement with citywide initiatives concerning the homeless, including representation on the Committee to End Homelessness, founding of the Human Service Provider Forum, and support for community initiatives related to the homeless, including the 1811 Building.

* Collaboration with the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) on the Neighborhood Corrections Initiative (NCI) which deals almost exclusively with offenders who have substance abuse and/or chronic homelessness issues. The emphasis of the NCI teams is concern for overall well-being of DOC clients while ensuring consequences for non-compliant behaviors. The teams make welfare checks on DOC clients four times as often as they take enforcement actions.

* Enthusiastic support for extending the NCI model to deal with the mentally ill in a pilot program that pairs mental health professionals with patrol officers. This program aims to head off police confrontations with such persons by intervening before they experience crisis episodes. The pilot project for this effort will be located in the West Precinct and is planned to start this October.

* Better preparation of officers for dealing with persons who are homeless and/or in crisis by placing new officers in social service agencies during their field-training period. Doing this helps to break down stereotypes on both sides and build greater mutual understanding. This is a unique program among law enforcement agencies.

* Support for Drug Court and Mental Health Court as alternatives to criminal justice system processing of persons whose anti-social conduct is rooted in substance abuse or mental illness. The Department has embraced such programs whereas many in law enforcement are skeptical of them.

* Ongoing review of approaches used by other agencies. For example, the annual conference of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) will be held the week of September 20th in Seattle. One of the sessions will cover the topic "Improving Police Response to the Mentally Ill -a Panel Discussion of Best Practices."

25. What are your hopes and expectations for having officers and command staff proactively work with neighborhood business districts, neighborhood block watches, and crime prevention groups* Will you also commit to train more police officers in effective community outreach*

The Seattle Police Department has always prided itself on its building of relationships with the city's diverse communities. Many of the programs in place that are intended to strengthen police -community partnerships, reduce crime and fear, as well as to build trust in their police department have gained national attention. That said, we can never allow ourselves to be satisfied with status quo. There are many strategies and programs already in place that we will proudly continue and at the same time utilize new and creative approaches. These strategies include, but are certainly not limited to:

* Continuation and enhancement of our demographic advisory councils. These councils, such as the African American Advisory Council, the Latino Advisory Council, the Arab Muslim Sikh Advisory Council, the Filipino Advisory Council, the Sexual Minorities Advisory Council, as well as the East African Advisory Council (and several other councils) have played significant roles in assisting us in creating good and solid working relationships with many representing those communities. These councils have also been instrumental in helping to shape our training and policies as it pertains to such things as use of force, crisis intervention training, etc. Each member of our command staff is assigned as a council liaison along with one or two other Department representatives.

* One program we plan to continue is having new officers assigned to a social service organization within their precinct of assignment following graduation from the academy. This will afford the officers excellent opportunities to meet and get to know a variety of people who live and work within their area of assignment, as well as to learn what additional resources may be available to assist the officer in better helping those in need throughout the community.

* Begin a concerted and organized effort to have district officers proactively go out and meet key people from the community who operate social service organizations, schools and faith-based organizations. This expectation also applies to all supervisors and commanders, especially those working within patrol.

* The pilot project on Neighborhood View Point (NVP) is a key public engagement and community outreach tool that we hope to expand across all patrol sectors in the city. Through the NVP we hope to identify signal crimes and other neighborhood conditions that lead to community feelings of insecurity and concern.

* As many times a month as possible, I intend to hold our Monday morning command staff meetings in various restaurants throughout the city. Sworn command staff personnel will wear their uniforms. This will provide excellent opportunities for the public not only to see members of the command staff out in the community, but also to be able to take advantage of personal interaction.

* Work closely with ethnic-owned media by providing articles and interviews to radio and newspapers.

* Continuation and enhancement of the citywide crime prevention councils and precinct advisory councils. These groups are vital in providing us input, as well as providing wide dissemination of information to many throughout the various communities about crime trends, tips to stay safe, and ways to partner with their police department and others in their community to create a safer environment.

* Work with the communities to continue increasing the level of participation in the annual Night Out festivities that occur the first Tuesday of August. This program creates excellent opportunities for neighbors to meet and build relationships amongst one another. SPD works hard to visit as many neighborhoods as possible on that evening to not only meet and interact with neighbors, but to provide them with vital information on safety and crime, as well as providing them information on how to participate in public-safetyrelated activities with the many organizations and councils listed above.

* Currently we have five officers who are assigned to a variety of schools in the East, South and Southwest Precincts. Though this program has been very successful, there are many schools that are not able to benefit from this kind of proactive attention. We intend to develop strategies that will utilize patrol and CPT officers to be assigned schools and visit those schools as workload permits.

* Establish effective relationships with a number of organizations committed to Race and Social Justice. We are working at building relationships with organizations such as Youth Undoing Institutional Racism and our SPD-sponsored demographic advisory councils, and meeting regularly with key leaders from a variety of religious and ethnic communities as an important part of ensuring that we not only hear and work closely with them to address their issues and concerns, but also provide them with excellent opportunities to learn about how their police department operates and to keep them abreast of any incidents of crisis that may be directly impacting their communities. It is vitally important that we not wait until a crisis occurs to attempt the building of relationships. It is important to have those relationships built long before.

* Continue to offer the SPD-sponsored Community Police Academy. The Academy is a ten-week program designed to educate the public in the operations of the Seattle Police Department, while also giving the Department a chance to obtain valuable feedback from the community. The purpose of the Community Police Academy is to increase understanding between the Seattle Police Department and the community members of Seattle through education and interaction. Community participants will become familiar with various facets of the Seattle Police Department and gain insight into law enforcement's role in the criminal justice system and the daily work of police employees. With increased understanding, Seattle's community and police can work together and achieve realistic solutions to neighborhood problems relating to crime, fear of crime, and neighborhood decay. It is hoped that increasing community awareness will challenge some of the myths and images of law enforcement and provide a realistic view of police procedures. We are also designing a one-day academy for those whose schedules make it difficult to attend the ten-week program.

* The annual picnics held at each of the five precincts provide excellent opportunities for the community to be our guest and meet our officers and civilian employees who provide outstanding service to their communities. The picnics, sponsored by the Seattle Police Foundation, allow members of the community to tour the precinct, see demonstrations from many of our specialty units that are on hand, as well as providing food and activities for children.

* Work to build open and solid communication with those individuals and organizations that are often considered critics of the Department. Organizations like the ACLU, NAACP, Urban League, etc., are and can be excellent resources for helping us to see and understand different perspectives. As stated before, rather than wait for some kind of crisis or controversy to occur, it is important to establish open and honest dialogue regarding mutual issues of concern. It is our goal that these organizations feel comfortable and trust that they can approach us with issues and concerns and know that such interaction will not only be productive, but respectful.

26. Occasions of police misconduct often lead to demands for reform in the police accountability system. What would signal to you that the police accountability system -the professional standards of conduct and the means of enforcing them -needs reform*

The 2008 report of Mayor Nickels' Police Accountability Review Panel noted, "The majority of [SPD] officers work day in and day out, forging bonds with residents and successfully improving communities in which they serve. Most are rarely subject to any form of disciplinary complaint." Nonetheless, because of the power held by police officers and the need for community trust to ensure effective law enforcement, SPD actively works to identify, investigate and discipline misconduct. Mayor Nickels' Police Accountability Review Panel as well as the Seattle City Council Police Accountability Panel reviewed and affirmed the strength of Seattle's three-prong oversight structure. The key elements of this structure include:

* Office of Professional Accountability, along with the OPA Auditor and OPA Review Board, provide checks and balances to ensure a thorough, fair and expeditious investigation process for complaints of misconduct and make recommendations for improvements in SPD policy and training to promote police professionalism.

* Police Accountability Review Panel (PARP) made recommendations to enhance accountability and transparency in policing and civilian oversight that were implemented.

* The current system requires that if the Chief of Police does not follow the OPA Director's recommendation on the disposition of a misconduct complaint, he must make a written statement of his reasons, to be submitted to the Mayor and City Council.

* The Department's Early Intervention System identifies employees demonstrating symptoms of stress or need for training so these issues can be addressed. This system is separate from the discipline system.

In September 2010, the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) will hold its annual conference in Seattle. The conference will provide an opportunity to showcase Seattle's unique oversight system and to compare and contrast other models. The theme of the conference is "Promoting Excellence," in both law enforcement and civilian oversight.

27. Given the recent incidents of alleged misconduct by police officers, what steps will you take to reinforce Seattle Police Department policy to ensure appropriate police behavior and to rebuild community relations* In addition, please respond specifically to the following questions:

In the wake of these incidents, I have communicated with SPD employees in writing and through roll call videos. The purpose of these communications was to underscore the Department's policies concerning, and commitment to, unbiased policing. I have also directed the Advanced Training Unit to determine how best to incorporate "lessons learned" from these recent incidents into our Perspectives on Profiling training for all employees.

a) There is a lack of trust in the integrity of the Department among some in our city, particularly in our communities of color. What steps will you take to build better relations and partnerships with community organizations*

I have already begun and will continue to meet personally with the leadership of each community organization. My purposes are; first, to open lines of communication where they have shut down or to improve those that now exist; and then, to prioritize areas of concern and identify concrete steps to address them. My interactions thus far confirm that we share much common ground, but that there will remain areas where we may continue to agree to disagree. The latter should not impede our efforts to communicate directly, regularly and respectfully, however. Nor should they deter us from making progress in areas where there is high consensus as well as in areas that remain contentious.

Effective policing is based largely upon a compliance model, but public compliance is predicated on a mutual belief in the efficacy, fairness and legitimacy of enforcement actions. In communities that feel disenfranchised and where police actions are regarded as unfair and illegitimate, compliance will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. I will be at the table working tirelessly to address concerns and build trust, and I am grateful to those community and political leaders, community members, members of labor, educational, social service and other organizations who have agreed to be there as well.

b) How can the Department be more proactive than reactive concerning police accountability* What can you tell us about current Department training on de-escalation skills*

Opening and maintaining lines of communication is a first step in being proactive. The second step is being clear about what our practices are and will be whenever incidents of concern to the community arise. With respect to de-escalation, the Department began focusing on such techniques in new officer and in-service training related to use of force two years ago. We are currently reviewing de-escalation practices in use in other agencies to determine training and other practices that might be adapted for use here. Also, our use of force training is scenario-based and emphasizes effective decision-making and tactics that have the effect of reducing the potential for force to be applied. While our use of force rate relative to public contacts is less than one half of one percent, and one-fifth that of national estimates of force use in police/public contacts, we recognize that use of force remains one of the most controversial areas of policing. We are currently preparing a report to the public that covers use of force trends in the Department in the last four years and can serve as a basis for community dialogue on this issue.

c) There is a growing body of research about brain development that helps us understand why adolescent judgment is sometimes problematic. Also, some officers are naturally gifted in working with teenagers. How can we capitalize on this knowledge and skill-set to better train our officers to deal with kids*

The Department's extensive outreach with youth is in recognition of their impulsive actions and reactions that can bring them into contact with police. Some of our more notable efforts in this area include the following:

* Establishment of a Youth Advisory Council, akin to other geographic and demographic advisory groups, that advises the Department on issues of concern to this age group.

* Basics of Respect brochure, translated into eight languages besides English, is a guide for youth on police practices and on their rights and responsibilities when dealing with police.

* Youth outreach officers regularly engage youth in donut dialogues and recreational opportunities designed to provide positive interactions with police. Other programming is targeted specifically for youth in danger of dropping out of school.

* The Department has provided two Youth Police Academies (modeled after the Community Police Academy) with mostly minority youth in attendance and has developed forums with and for youth having to do with knowing your rights and gang resistance.

* The West Side Story project was another opportunity to engage youth in a non-enforcement and non-confrontational setting. This project allowed youth to interpret the consequences of gang behaviors through the characters in the Bernstein musical.

* The Department has sought and received support from the Seattle Police Foundation for a summer youth employment program for the last two years. This program has placed a limited number of youth in each precinct where they complete tasks associated with summer outreach activities and also receive an orientation to various Department operations, such as SWAT and Harbor patrol. Participating youth receive a stipend when they complete the program.

* Through the School Emphasis Officer program, officers are assigned to individual schools where they get to know the students and provide opportunities for youth to contact them with issues they are confronting.

d) Will you review the existing Seattle Police Department Procedures Manual and issue a report on whether its protocols are being followed with regard to police stops and use of force*

My undertaking a review and report on the SPD Procedures Manual (apart from the quality assurance work addressed in Question #3 above) would not be nearly as effective in determining adherence to the Manual's expectations as are other, external checks on how officers function. Among these are the following:

* The biennial community surveys in which respondents are asked about being stopped by police on foot or in vehicles. The results of these surveys reflect that a high percentage of the public indicate that when they were stopped, SPD officers were respectful, explained their reasons for making stops and detained them for a reasonable amount of time.

* A special study of persons receiving traffic and jaywalking citations done by the Department showed a high level of dissatisfaction among jaywalkers. Subsequent focus groups made it clear that new approaches were needed in this area, and that these appropriately (and primarily) needed to involve other city departments and local institutions, including schools.

* Regular surveys of 911 callers concerning the courtesy, professionalism and customer service provided by patrol officers. The results of these surveys indicate that SPD officers are providing high quality services that are helpful and reassuring to those they contact.

* Reviews of use of force by SPD officers reveal levels of force use and complaints of force use that are well below national benchmarks. The report noted above at b) will provide the public with additional information on officer actions in this area.

* We are convening a panel of national and regional experts on use of force to review our force training curriculum and protocols.

e) How will you ensure that the Department's culture does not tolerate ethnic slurs directed at suspects or those being detained or arrested*

The Department clearly states that our mission is to prevent crime, enforce the law, and support quality public safety by delivering respectful, professional and dependable police services. Ethnic slurs have no place in this mission and are prohibited by Department policy. The results of community surveys show that officers in general receive high marks for their courtesy and professionalism. This underscores an organizational culture that does not tolerate ethnic slurs. As noted above, I have already publicly stated my expectations of our officers in this area and I will continue to assure that my expectations are met.

28. How can the Department attract more women and people of color to its ranks at all levels* What are the barriers to recruitment and retention* Are there steps you will take to increase the number of local residents, particularly from our ethnic minority communities, hired by the Department* Might you consider initiating a cadet program to engage in such recruitment to police officer ranks*

The Police Department's goal is for its workforce to resemble the demographic diversity of the population it serves. As it has done for years, the Police Department continues to strive to recruit, retain, and promote ethnic minorities and women. For both civilian and sworn positions, the Department recruits nationwide and locally. Recruitment efforts focus significantly on those segments of the local population that are underrepresented in the makeup of the Department's workforce.

In about 2003 the Department established a sworn sergeant position whose primary responsibility is the recruitment and retention of candidates for sworn positions. A significant part of the responsibilities of this position is to increase the number of female and ethnic minority applicants for police officer positions. To this end, the Department is actively involved with local universities, community colleges, and high schools through job fairs and other activities, thereby contacting segments of the area population that are underrepresented in the city workforce. Competitive applicants from these segments of the local population are strongly encouraged to apply and to persevere in what is an often-lengthy hiring process. Indicative of the success of our efforts is the recently released promotional register for sergeant, on which nearly 25% of the top candidates are female.

We plan to continue aggressively working to identify good police officer candidates locally, and nationally, and to encourage all of those competitive candidates, particularly women and minorities, to pursue a career with the Seattle Police Department.

The Department also is one of the few police departments in major cities that has established a part-time police officer program. This program has been successful in retaining experienced officers during those times when demands from other aspects of their personal lives, such as need to care for young children or aging parents, prevent them from working full time.

While the Department does not have a "cadet" program per se, for years the Department has had a Police Explorer Program that exposes local youth to the opportunities offered by a career in law enforcement. In addition, the Seattle Police Foundation finances a number of internships for local youths to work with various parts of the Police Department during the summer and to see first-hand the job of a police officer.

29. How will you deal with the media and media requests for information* Do you plan on changing your current policies and practices* Will you be more open when it comes to sharing information with members of the media*

The Department has a Media Relations Unit that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Public Information Officers staffing the Unit maintain excellent relationships with the media in the Seattle market. The Unit also provides content and updates the Department's Blotter and Twitter account, which provide summaries of police activities to members of the media and public.

Recently, the Department has made available online certain police reports. My Neighborhood Maps is now providing information about crime within the city in near real time. This tool, like the Blotter/Twitter approach noted above, has been received positively by the media and the public.

As Chief, I pledge to be as open and transparent as I can in providing information, so long as in doing so, ongoing investigations are not compromised. The public, via the media, deserves to know what is going on it its police department. There is outstanding work being done by the members of this Department and I would like the community to know about it. I will be better at that.

30. Are there areas where you feel the Department has been hampered by a "lack of will" or a lack of political or community support to enforce the law* How can the City Council and the people of Seattle best support you and the Seattle Police Department in meeting your most critical goals*

The Department has never wavered in its willingness to undertake its mission on behalf of the people of Seattle. This was amply demonstrated last fall in the wake of Officer Tim Brenton's murder when -though in mourning and choked with sadness -the Department's men and women showed their devotion to duty in their effective responses to calls for service and their dogged pursuit of suspects in high-profile investigations. At the same time, the community came together in support of the Department and the outpouring of sympathy and concern we received bolstered and sustained us.

As we move forward, our best support comes from a concerned and engaged community, willing to work together to address public safety needs. This is particularly important in areas where law change may lag changes in public sentiment, where there is a need to balance the interests of multiple groups of stakeholders, and where there exists a lack of consensus on how best to proceed. Examples of such areas that have been of recent and recurring concern in Seattle include street disorder and civility complaints in business districts, jaywalking, and open air drug and vice activity.

Each of these areas is characterized by widely divergent views about the necessity for, and nature of, an appropriate law enforcement response, by strongly opposing interests seeking police action or restraint, and by widespread dissatisfaction with any chosen course of action. Though fraught with ambiguity, conflict and frustration for all concerned, each of these areas regularly become the "police beat," more by default than by design, as individual officers responding to individual incidents are drawn into the fray. Understanding the complexity of the issues in each of these areas counsels the need for the greatest amount of forbearance, not only for the varying points of view involved, but also for the inevitable result that our best efforts will be too much for some and too little for others. Unfortunately, forbearance is regularly in short supply, as representatives of divergent interests comfortably proceed to their respective corners.

Law enforcement is the most visible entity of local government, accessible 24x7, when other, more appropriate services may not be. But law enforcement is also limited in its range of response options, and therefore, its proper place in addressing such areas is as much a matter of social policy as police art and science. The Department cannot and should not be in this alone. This is where political and community leadership needs to step forward and decide how, where and when law enforcement can play a role; and how, when and where others need to take the lead.

For our part, we will continue to be a Department that is committed to problem-solving, open to innovation, willing to partner and collaborate, and determined to keep Seattle a safe and vibrant city for all who live, work, and visit here.

31. As Seattle's Chief of Police, what do you want your lasting legacy to be*

I have committed my entire adult life to one of the highest callings in our society protecting the community. I see three objectives as essential to protecting the community: to fight crime, reduce fear (by building reassurance) and build community. These objectives are interwoven in the sense that by fighting crime for all of our residents, the Department will have an impact on reducing the fear of crime. Reducing fear of crime through reassurance policing is important because fear can be a greater stressor and inhibitor of community involvement than a high level of crime; and without community involvement, crimes are not reported and the fear of crime increases. Being successful in these three objectives to improve the safety of our community is one of the legacies I hope to leave behind.

A second area where I hope to leave a legacy is in the area of race and social justice. The opportunities and promise available in our country are the envy of the world. However, the issue of race continues to plague us. In virtually any institution in our nation, there are significant racial disparities, whether in academic achievement, health indicators, economics or involvement in the criminal justice system. Racism is such an intractable issue that one of its by-products is to inject a level of ambiguity into every situation. Police officers do not have the luxury of staying at a comfortable distance from racial issues. Rather, they confront daily persons whose lives and prospects have been shaped by race, whether as victims, offenders or community members. I want to have a legacy of being part of a police organization and a city that took on the challenge of race and moved to a position such that each day, we built greater peace and a stronger community together.

Third, I would hope to be remembered for having served this city with integrity. Finally, as Chief of Police I feel that my role is to provide leadership as well as stewardship for the outstanding organization that is the Seattle Police Department. Rather than a personal legacy, I would prefer an organizational legacy to be of a Department in which future Chiefs of Police are selected from within the ranks. This will be as a consequence of being an organization with a reputation for creating highly capable leaders and where every officer aspires to be Chief of Police one day.

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6. City Council Expectations for the Chief of Police

August 9, 2010

John Diaz, Chief of Police

Seattle Police Department

P.O. Box 34986

Seattle, WA 98124-4986

RE: City Council Expectations for the Chief of Police

Dear Chief Diaz:

Over the past several months we have conducted a healthy dialogue about the current state of the Seattle Police Department, the traits required and demanded of contemporary police leaders, and the particular opportunities and challenges in working for peace and justice in Seattle communities. You have been a highly engaged partner in that discussion and the Council looks forward to working with you as Seattle's Chief of Police. To that end, the Council is following the recent pattern of defining short-term goals for new Department head appointees.

This letter is being sent to you and placed in Clerk File 310947, which contains the Mayor's request for your confirmation as Chief of the Seattle Police Department (SPD). It outlines the Council's expectations for your job performance.

Our current policy goals and priorities for the Chief of Police remain as stated in Resolution 31184, adopted by the Council in January 2010. The resolution stated our desire that the new Chief maintain and improve the foundations of the Seattle Police Department's performance, and described two general areas in which we expect improvements.

The Council's expectations are intended to enhance the accountability of the Chief of Police to Seattle residents, businesses and visitors via the Legislative branch. Council expectations are intended to add to the Mayor's expectations and to the Chief's responsibilities established in the City Charter and Seattle Municipal Code.

In addition to the goals and priorities detailed in Resolution 31184, many of which are outlined here, this letter describes four specific areas in which the Council would like to see concrete progress by December 2011.

Expectations for Chief of Police Performance

1. Reducing Crime: Focused and Proactive Problem-Solving. Council Resolution 31184 specifically cited a need for improvements in focused and proactive problem-solving policing in tandem with the application of evidence-based methods to increase public safety (Section 2). We expect you to provide leadership in collaborating with criminal justice and community partners in developing and implementing innovative and effective initiatives to reduce crime. The Department must organize and manage the use of its officers to maximum effect and focus on the most serious neighborhood crime problems. The Council expects you to lead the Department in employing evidence-based, best-practice strategies and tactics to solve recurring and new crime problems and to target and apprehend serious repeat offenders. Specifically, the Council would like to see declines in domestic violence, robbery, theft, aggravated assault and residential burglary rates. We expect you to formulate initiatives that will lead to reductions in street disorder, particularly problems related to illegal open-air drug markets that plague some Seattle neighborhoods. The Department's focus on the commercial sex trade should continue, especially targeting predators and those who traffic individuals for financial gain.

2. De-escalation Practices: Leadership and Training. We understand that the work of police officers often places them in high-risk situations in which conflict is inherent and which require them to make instant judgments. We expect Seattle police officers to be highly skilled and professional in performing their jobs. The Council expects that the Department will quickly develop and fully implement the most effective training available for minimizing and de-escalating conflict in encounters between officers and civilians. Those encounters related to misdemeanor and infraction enforcement have been the subject of repeated analysis and comment by the Office of Professional Accountability civilian auditors over the years. We also ask that you ensure that the ability to minimize and de-escalate conflict be an integral part of the Department's regular evaluation of all patrol officers' performance, including recognizing those who demonstrate excellence in managing conflict, as well as providing corrective guidance to those who could improve their skills.

3. Setting the Bar High: Misconduct and Restorative Discipline. We expect our police officers to always perform their duties in a professional, respectful and fair manner, treating all persons with dignity. We encourage expanded use of restorative discipline, such as mediation and training/education, for less serious violations of Department policies. Less serious violations include minor good-faith mistakes and those matters that would normally be resolved through reprimand and line supervisor interventions. We encourage you to aggressively investigate and appropriately punish misconduct of a more serious nature, including use of excessive force, dishonesty, violations of constitutional protections, ethical violations, and behavior that involves discriminatory intent.

4.

Building Public Confidence: Crime Information Reporting. Council Resolution 31184 specifically cited an expectation for improvement in the area of reporting about crime, crime trends and specific crime problems. The Department's new "My Neighborhood Map" Web site is a step in the right direction in terms of sharing crime data with the public. Nevertheless, additional improvements are needed in the quality and timeliness of crime information that supports accountability---both of SPD and City government as a whole---to the public. We expect an assessment of the state of the art of information reporting systems adopted by other cities and a plan for Seattle. We expect the Department to develop and implement a dashboard report on crime for its precincts, with a citywide roll-up, to be used for regular reporting to the Council.

Expectations for Chief of Police Management

A. Council Relations. You are expected to maintain a constructive working relationship with Council, as demonstrated by:

1. Prompt and complete responses to Council information inquiries.

2. Proactive updates on policy development, operational concerns and financial matters of significance, so the Council is informed of major changes or controversies.

3. Dependable implementation of formal policy direction provided by the Council.

4. Assistance in the research and development of Council policy initiatives.

B. Community Relations. You are expected to maintain open and positive relations with the public and encourage community confidence in the Department, as demonstrated by efforts in:

1. Conducting extensive outreach to members of diverse communities and other relevant stakeholders and regularly engaging with them as key public safety partners.

2. Supporting Seattle's independent system of civilian oversight of police conduct and encouraging the community to rely on it.

C. Staff Development. You are expected to maintain a high caliber work force for the Department, as demonstrated by your efforts in:

1. Recruiting the best and brightest to SPD ranks, and striving to develop an SPD work force that reflects Seattle's demographics and cultural values.

2. Fostering the highest standards of professionalism, developing and maintaining good morale among SPD employees, and ensuring a work environment that offers all staff advancement opportunities.

3. Conducting succession planning and attending to the professional development of SPD staff, including identifying, developing and nurturing SPD leaders.

Please provide the Council's Public Safety and Education Committee regular quarterly updates on your progress on these items, particularly items 1-4. These progress reports should be delivered in writing at the end of each quarter beginning with the fourth quarter of 2010.

Ensuring peace in our communities and excellence in policing must be the work of many hands. In this work you can expect the Council to support the work of innovation, accountability, and transparency, although we will have questions for you about strategies, tactics and follow-through. No doubt there will be demanding times ahead given the nature of the work required of Seattle police officers. You can expect the Council to remain engaged and forthright in its commitment to the goals we've outlined above and to your success.

Thank you for your many years of service to the people of Seattle. We congratulate you on your confirmation and look forward to hearing your plans for meeting these Council expectations.

We look forward to working cooperatively with you as Chief of Police to ensure the safety and security of the people of Seattle.

Sincerely,

_____________________________ ____________________________

Richard Conlin, President Tim Burgess, Chair

Seattle City Council Public Safety and Education Committee

Cc: Mayor Michael McGinn Seattle City Council Members