Category Archives: In The News

State lawmakers are wading decisively into the difficult but necessary challenge of addressing the injustices and abuses that drove this summer’s historic Black Lives Matter protests. Last week, the House Public Safety Committee passed three police-reform bills, which were the products ...

It’s crunchtime in Olympia for police accountability. Dueling Democratic bills have distinct differences. Sen. Jesse Salomon’s Senate Bill 5134 would cut negotiations around discipline and oversight out of police-contract negotiations, disallow arbitration for misconduct appeals and specify misconduct mandating officer discharges.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Manny Ellis. These were the names being chanted in the streets of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and many other Washington cities in 2020, as the Black community had enough and demanded change and accountability during months of ...

This year the legislature is going hard on police reform. One bill calls for a ban on chokeholds, no-knock warrants, and tear gas. Other bills would establish a statewide body to review use-of-force cases. None of those bills would mean ...

Labor leaders, police accountability activists and elected officials from across the state, including Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, testified Thursday in Olympia about two state senate bills intended to restructure or streamline the disciplinary process ...

Critics say it’s difficult to improve police accountability because it’s governed by collective bargaining in union agreements with Seattle police and many other police departments. Fred Thomas testified about the shooting of his unarmed son by Lakewood police. “As an ...

With the riots at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., and Olympia, as well as calls for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, dominating headlines, the Beacon reached to state representatives serving Edmonds for statements. Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sens. ...

EDMONDS — The city is changing how it treats people who drive with suspended licenses. In early November, Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson and interim Police Chief Jim Lawless announced officers would no longer file criminal cases for the sole offense ...

Friends: In case you missed it, I authored an op-ed in the Seattle Times this morning about the need for police reform. While I have ideas to address this crucial issue, I want to listen to the voices of those ...

Last year,  a woman in Burien called 911 to report her sister’s boyfriend was holding her and her family hostage. When the 911 operator attempted to gain more information, the woman, sounding panicked, said: “He’s going to take my phone,” ...