Report: Abandonment of Seattle police's East Precinct during protests didn’t violate policy

Arsonists target East Precinct and police union building

The feds are now involved in investigations into two separate arsons Monday, one at the Seattle Police Department East Precinct and another at the Seattle police union building.

SEATTLE - Seattle’s police oversight office says the abandonment of a precinct by officers during last summer’s racial justice protests didn’t violate laws or departmental policies.

The Office of Police Accountability on Monday released its findings from a monthslong investigation into the abandonment of the precinct on June 8, 2020, after 10 days of protests over George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in late May.

The Seattle Times reports that two department leaders were investigated in connection with the evacuation orders — the then-chief of police and the assistant chief of patrol operations.

Though the Office of Police Accountability didn’t name either person in its report, Carmen Best was Seattle’s police chief at the time, and Assistant Chief Thomas Mahaffey heads the department’s patrol operations.

In the oversight office’s investigation, police leaders faced four allegations of misconduct: that they failed to take responsibility for their respective commands, did not adhere to laws or policy, used improper discretion and were unprofessional. None of the allegations was sustained by the office.

"The turmoil outside the East Precinct during the summer of 2020 presented the SPD with opportunities to learn and improve. The Department’s revisions since then incorporate recommendations made by members of the community and our accountability partners, including the Office of Police Accountability, Office of the Inspector General and the Community Police Commission. The Seattle Police Department appreciates these valuable partnerships and acknowledges the future of public safety is something we need to create together," the Seattle Police Department said in a statement.

The precinct was abandoned a little over a week after nightly protests on Capitol Hill made their way to the building.

During that time, the Seattle Police Department closed off street access with fence barricades to "maintain a perimeter around the East Precinct," the Monday Office of Police Accountability statement said.

The barricades became flashpoints for nightly standoffs between police and protesters, often resulting in protesters throwing objects at officers and officers using tear gas, blast balls and other weapons against the crowd.

Angelo Calfo, a lawyer who represents a group suing the city over the precinct’s abandonment, declined to comment to the newspaper, saying he had yet to read the report. His clients include residents and businesses who allege they were harmed by the evacuation of the precinct and subsequent unrest in the area.

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