OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM THE CITY OF SPOKANE: Spokane Mayor David Condon has announced a plan to implement the recommendations of the Use of Force Commission that includes technical assistance and support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office.
“We are committed to making changes that will improve public trust and confidence in our Police Department; that goal has not changed since I took office more than a year ago,” says Mayor Condon. “The Use of Force Commission has provided us with a comprehensive list of recommendations on how to make our department better, and we will follow through and implement those actions.”
Chief Frank Straub has developed an implementation plan and timeline for the action items laid out by the Commission. Most of the work will be completed in 2013.
Importantly, the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS program has agreed to provide technical assistance to the SPD as part of the implementation plan. The COPS program will provide a plan on how to conduct Use of Force investigations and complete a cultural diagnostic of the SPD. The SPD will be required to implement the recommendations made by the COPS program. Representatives from DOJ are expected to be in Spokane this month to gather information and will consider use of force cases going back four years. (more…)