Monique Cotton, Director of Public Information & Communication, No Phone Number Available
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 11:15 a.m.
Mayor David Condon and Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub have received the final letter from the Use of Force Commission, bringing the commission's work with the Spokane Police Department to a close.
Two years ago, the Commission made 26 detailed and comprehensive recommendations for the department. In its final letter, the Use of Force Commission noted SPD's progress in initiating or completing all the police-specific recommendations.
“The vast majority of our twenty-six (26) recommendations have been followed to the letter of the law,” the letter states, “and in all other instances the spirit of our recommendations has been embraced to drive improvement.”
The end of our engagement with the Use of Force Commission marked a milestone in the ongoing process of re-engineering of SPD, though it is certainly not the end of our work to become an even better police department. Among other steps, The Spokane Police Department is now working with the DOJ-COPS Office and continuing to engage in the Collaborative Reform process. We have also taken an initial step and are beginning a thoughtful conversation with the community about initial police contacts with civilians and race. We will be working closely with the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Multicultural Affairs (MACMA) and a work group of eight individuals from the MACMA group to engage in holistic community discussions regarding why communities of color come in contact with the police and why the police come in contact with communities of color. In addition to policing practices, factors such as education, employment, alcohol and substance abuse will be part of these collective community conversations.
In addition to implementing the Use of Force Commission's recommendations, SPD's introspective and collaborative work with the Spokane community provides additional opportunities to engage with residents and better understand how our officers are working to keep citizens safe.
