OPA report released on whether former SPD chief violated policies during CHOP

SEATTLE - The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) released their findings into former police chief Carmen Best’s Thursday for her leadership during a summer of protests in 2020.

The report ruled there was "insufficient evidence" for several claims, or that her actions did not violate Seattle Police Department (SPD) policy.

Claims of wrongdoing with the department’s directives for using tear gas, and alleged false statements she made to the press during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, were the basis for the investigation.

Despite the findings, Mayor Harrell expressed frustration that Best did not make herself available to investigators for an interview.

"The Executive again expresses disappointment in Best’s refusal to sit for an interview on this matter of public concern as it prevented a full assessment of the propriety of her actions during an important moment in the history of Seattle.

Her comments regarding shootings within CHOP, and first responders’ hesitation entering the area to provide medical aid for two victims fell under notable scrutiny.

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In one claim, it was alleged Best was "knowingly and intentionally dishonest" when she stated that "a violent crowd prevented SPD officers from safely accessing and providing emergency medical treatment to two shooting victims located inside the area known as the CHOP."

Here, the investigator determined this assertion was a "misleading account of what had occurred" Refuting the claim that it was "too hot" to reach either victim. Going further to state that former Best’s comments that summer regarding those specific moments were not "factually accurate."

Despite acknowledging in the report that members of the crowd engaged in acts that were "threatening," and that "the crowd followed officers as they retreated."

However, investigators claimed because former Best’s decided not to participate in the investigation, that no conclusive determination could be made and that it ultimately remains unclear "what information she relied upon when making the statement."

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It was further determined that "the investigator again had insufficient evidence to determine whether the statement was knowingly and intentionally false."

In another finding, investigators ruled in Best’s favor, determining that she did not violate a tear gas directive.

Finally, investigators found Best repeated an unverified claim of armed CHOP members extorting local businesses to have been "not properly vetted or corroborated."

The report concludes that for Best, "either no SPD policies were violated or that there is insufficient evidence to determine whether a policy violation occurred."