CHIEF
CHIEF BEST. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
BEFORE I BEGIN, I JUST WANT TO
TELL YOU HOW HONORED I AM TO
STAND WITH SO MANY WONDERFUL
AND DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY
MEMBERS AND THE SUPPORT OF
PUBLIC SAFETY.
PUBLIC SAFETY. FIRST THE CHIEF WHO HAS BEEN
RELENTLESS IN ALL YOUR EFFORTS,
A WONDERFUL PARTNER IN
COMMUNITY SAFETY AND I FEEL
HONORED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK
THAT YOU HAVE DONE AND CONTINUE
TO DO ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, WE
HAVE VICTORIA WHO IS THE
PRESIDENT OF OUR AFRICAN-
AMERICAN ADVISORY COUNCIL,
DOCTOR REVEREND CARRIE
ANDERSON, REVEREND WALTON WHO
MANY OF YOU KNOW IS A COMMUNITY
ACTIVIST.
ACTIVIST.
ACTIVIST. A LONGTIME SUPPORTER AND PERSON
OF GREAT COMPASSION AND CARE,
WE ALSO HAVE ANDRE TAYLOR FROM
NOT THIS TIME.
MANY OF YOU RECOGNIZE AND KNOW
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. A
HIM. A LEASE FROM THE GSP A, A
WONDERFUL LEADER THERE AND ALSO
A LONG SUPPORTER OF PUBLIC
SAFETY.
SAFETY.
SAFETY. BISHOP GARY TYSON.
AGAIN ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAS
BEEN A LONG SUPPORTER OF PUBLIC
SAFETY, POLICING AND CARES VERY
DEEPLY AND VERY GREATLY ABOUT
THIS COMMUNITY AND EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENS IN ITS AND THEN
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, DOCTOR
SHEILA EDWARDS.
SHEILA EDWARDS. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN A LONGTIME
COMMUNITY SUPPORTER.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTER. WE HAVE PEOPLE HERE STANDING
WITH US TODAY WHO HAVE A LONG
HISTORY OF GIVING THEIR TIME,
THEIR EFFORT AND THEIR
LIFEBLOOD TO THE SAFETY OF THE
CITY OF SEATTLE.
FOR THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO
WERE NOT ABLE TO JOIN US TODAY,
I THINK -- THINK ALL OF YOU FOR
YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF YOUR
SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUT
WE CANNOT MOVE FORWARD AS A
COMMUNITY, AS A CITY OR POLICE
DEPARTMENT UNLESS ALL OF US ARE
WORKING TOGETHER.
WORKING TOGETHER. I WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE FIRST A
RECAP OF THIS WEEKEND'S EVENTS
AND THEN MOVE ON TO WHAT THE
MAYOR TALKED ABOUT ABOUT RE-
ENVISIONING AND REIMAGINING
POLICING IN THE FUTURE AND
SEATTLE LEADING THE WAY ON
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. SO
THAT. SO THREE PEOPLE WERE SHOT IN
THE COURSE OF 48 HOURS ON
CAPITOL HILL.
CAPITOL HILL. IN THE AREA KNOWN AS THE CHOP.
THE FIRST SHOOTING HAPPENED
EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.
A 19-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS KILLED.
A 33-YEAR-OLD MAN STILL REMAINS
HOSPITALIZED IN CRITICAL
CONDITION.
CONDITION. LAST NIGHT, GUNFIRE ERUPTED
AGAIN AND A TEENAGER WAS SHOT
IN THE ARM.
SPD OFFICERS RESPONDED TO ALL
OF THESE INCIDENTS AND ON
SATURDAY NIGHT, UPON ENTERING
THE CHOP, THEY WERE MET WITH A
HOSTILE CROWD THAT PREVENTED
THEM FROM GETTING TO THE
VICTIMS.
VICTIMS.
VICTIMS. BECAUSE WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE
SAFETY FOR THE FIRST RESPONDERS
TO ENTER, NEITHER OFFICERS NOR
MEDICS WERE ABLE TO GET THERE
AND TREAT THE WOUNDED.
AND YES, THERE ARE COUNTLESS
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THE CHOP
THAT ARE THERE TO ENGAGE AS THE
MAYOR SAID EARLIER IN PEACEFUL
DEMONSTRATIONS BUT THERE ARE
ALSO GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS
ENGAGING IN SHOOTINGS, IN ,
ASSAULT, BURGLARY , ARSON AND
PROPERTY DESTRUCTION.
PROPERTY DESTRUCTION. I HAD THE POLICE REPORTS RIGHT
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. I
HERE. I AM NOT MAKING IT UP.
THESE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.
WE CANNOT WALK AWAY FROM THE
TRUTH OF WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE
. THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS
AND I AM NOT A POLITICIAN.
THIS ISN'T A DEBATE ABOUT FIRST
AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
AMENDMENT RIGHTS. THIS IS ABOUT LIFE OR DEATH.
SO WE NEED A PLAN.
THE COUNCIL -- OFFICERS ACCESS
TO TOOLS WHEN WE HAD IN PLACE A
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER I
JUDGE JONES AND WE WENT ASK AND
HOPE THAT THEY WOULD RECONSIDER
AND MAKE OUR ABILITY TO RESPOND
TO THESE INCIDENTS AND USE THE
APPROPRIATE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO
US.
US.
US. NO
US. NO ONE ESPECIALLY THE OFFICERS
WANTS TO BE IN A SITUATION
WHERE THEY HAVE TO USE ANY
OTHER OPTION.
OTHER OPTION. THE ONLY OTHER OPTION LEFT TO
US ACTUALLY ENDS UP BEING OUR
BATONS OR GUN, NEITHER OF WHICH
ARE THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO
THE SITUATIONS WE ARE SEEING UP
ON THE HILL.
THE SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
SPENT YEARS DEVELOPING THE GOLD
STANDARD OF USE OF FORCE
POLICY.
POLICY.
POLICY. IT WAS DONE IN COORDINATION
WITH THE FEDERAL MONITOR, THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE
FEDERAL COURTS.
FEDERAL COURTS. LET THAT WORK AND OVERSIGHT
PROCESS ALLOW US TO USE THESE
TOOLS WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
AS THE JUDGE HAS DEFINED.
I CANNOT STAND BY NOT ANOTHER
SECOND AND WATCH ANOTHER BLACK
MAN OR ANYONE REALLY DIE IN OUR
STREETS WHILE PEOPLE
AGGRESSIVELY THWART THE EFFORTS
OF POLICE AND OTHER FIRST
RESPONDERS FROM RESCUING THEM.
A LIFE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED IF
NOT FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES
CREATED BY HASTY LEGISLATION. I
WANTED THIS JOB.
IT IS NO SECRET.
I LOVE THE JOB.
I LOVE BEING THE POLICE CHIEF.
I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY BUT WE NEED THE
COUNCIL AND OTHERS TO SUPPORT
US AND ASSIST US IN PREVENTING
FURTHER LOSS OF LIFE.
THERE HAS TO BE AN END TO THE
CHAOS THAT HAS BEEN CELEBRATED
BY SOME.
BY SOME.
BY SOME. I TALKED TO PEOPLE IN THAT
COMMUNITY ALL THE TIME.
THEY ARE TELLING ME IS GETTING
WORSE EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I KNOW AS WELL AS ANYBODY THAT
BLACK LIVES MATTER AND BLACK
LIVES MATTER IN SEATTLE KING
COUNTY HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT
THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO ALLOW
COMMUNITY LED LEADERSHIP AS THE
MAYOR TALKED ABOUT, COMMUNITY
LED LEADERSHIP TO LEAD THE
PROCESS.
PROCESS.
PROCESS. THE LIVES OF THE BLACK
COMMUNITY SHOULD NOT BE CAUGHT
UP IN POLITICAL POSTURING,
MANEUVERING AND PANDERING.
I KNOW THE MAYOR STANDS WITH ME
AND SUPPORTS ME.
WE ARE BOTH CHAMPIONS OF POLICE
REFORM AND WE NEED THE COUNCIL
TO JOIN IN THAT WORK INSTEAD OF
FOCUSING ON HOW BEST TO LAYOFF
CITY EMPLOYEES.
CITY EMPLOYEES. I ALSO HAVE TO STAND UP FOR THE
MEN AND WOMEN OF THE SEATTLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. HOW OFFICERS NEED TO GET BACK
IN THAT PRECINCT.
BEFORE I CLOSE, I WANT TO LOOK
TO TOMORROW, TO NEXT WEEK AND
TO NEXT YEAR.
WE ALL KNOW THAT POLICING IS
NEVER GOING TO BE THE SAME AS
IT WAS.
IT WAS.
IT WAS. NOT IN THE NATION, NOT IN OUR
STATE AND NOT IN OUR CITY.
IT CANNOT BE.
IT SHOULDN'T BE.
WE HAVE TO MAKE CHANGE.
WE HAVE TO RE-ENVISION AND
REIMAGINE HOW WE ARE GOING TO
MOVE FORWARD AND AS THE MAYOR
SAID, IT HAS TO BE COMMUNITY
LED HAND-IN-HAND WORKING WITH
THE VERY PEOPLE THAT WE ARE
SERVING.
SERVING.
SERVING. FIRST AND FOREMOST THE SEATTLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMITS TO
JOINING OUR COMMUNITY,
COMMUNITY MUST NOT JUST ADVISE
US, THEY MUST LEAD US.
WE ARE WEEKS INTO A PROCESS
CRITICALLY EXAMINING WHAT WE
WILL ASK OUR OFFICERS TO DO
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. SO MUCH HAS BEEN PLACED ON THEM
BECAUSE OF FAILURES OF OTHER
SYSTEMS AND THE MAYOR TALKED
ABOUT IT EARLIER.
16,995 CRISIS CALLS.
THAT IS HOW MANY COPS RESPONDED
IN AN 18 MONTH PERIOD.
MAYBE THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO
HAVE A DIFFERENT RESPONSE FROM
A DIFFERENT INSTITUTION OR
DIFFERENT LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT
CAN BE PROVIDED.
WE ARE OPEN TO ALL OF THAT.
AGAIN, COMMUNITY LED.
IN OUR NEW MODEL OF POLICING,
THE ENTIRE MISSION OF THE
SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS
TO BE REIMAGINED AND RE-
ENVISIONED.
ENVISIONED. IT WILL BE DONE WITH DIRECT
COMMUNITY GUIDANCE.
COMMUNITY GUIDANCE. WE ARE LOOKING TO THE COMMUNITY
TO COME TO US AND TALK TO US
PERSON TO PERSON FACE TO FACE
TO MAKE SURE WE ARE INITIATING
THE STEPS THAT THE COMMUNITY
WANTS TO SEE.
THESE ARE THE INITIAL STEPS.
I USED TO RUN TRACK.
THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO BUT I
DID.
DID.
DID. YOU
DID. YOU HAVE TO WARM UP THE FIRST.
I INTEND FOR THIS TO BE BOTH A
SPRINT TO ADDRESS OUR CRITICAL
IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND A MARATHON
FOR OUR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
UNDER THIS NEW PARADIGM SHIFT
LED BY THE SEATTLE POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE.
OFFICE.
OFFICE. SEATTLE PD IS RELEASING
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THIS BUT WE
NEED AND WE WILL DO