AN ORDINANCE relating to the Seattle Police Department; authorizing the Chief of Police to issue Special Police Officer Commissions to qualified government employees to conduct limited law enforcement duties or to former police officers or parking enforcement officers to conduct traffic control; eliminating the authority to authorize Retired Police Officer Commissions; amending Section 3.28.150, and repealing Sections 3.28.450, 3.28.460, 3.28.470, and 3.28.480 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
The Report of the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee Agenda Item 28 Council Bill 118476 relating to the Seattle Police Department authorizing the Chief of Police to issue Special Police Officer Commissions to qualified government employees to conduct limited law enforcement duties, or to former police officers or parking enforcement officers to conduct traffic control. Eliminating the authority to authorize retired police officer commissions. Amending Section 3.28150 and repealing Sections 3.28.4 or 50.460.470 and 0.480 of the Seattle Municipal Code. The committee recommends the Council bill pass. Thank you, Councilmember Harrell. Thank you very much. So this is an ordinance that modifies the portion of our code that deals with special commissions and retired police officer commissions. So currently, the code authorizes the chief police to commission persons engaged in private security employment to assist the police department in enforcing the laws. However, Speedy does not issue the Special Police Officer commissions to persons engaged in security work. And as such, this kind of work is regulated under the RTW Chapter 18 170. So we now recognize the City of Seattle has a need for qualified persons with limited law enforcement authority to assist the police department where appropriate. And the city of Seattle has a need for qualified person to conduct traffic control. So currently, to explain the sort of the current situation, a retired officer with the retired police officer commission has the same authority as an active police officer. He or she may wear his or her Seattle Police Department uniform. They may carry a weapon. However, this retired officer with a retired police officer commission is not considered an employee. They have no assigned supervisor. They're not required to have an ongoing training as required by the settlement agreement. As an example, they're not readily identifiable to public. From from there, not publicly listing from active duty police officers and are not subject to the discipline for violations of the Seattle Police Department policies or city policy. So for these reasons, the department and the executive and the Council hopefully believed it appropriate to amend this section to grant the Chief of Police Authority to issue these types of commissions that grant limited law enforcement authority to certain qualified city employees or grant very limited law enforcement authority to conduct traffic control to these retired commission police officers and parking enforcement officers. So this council bill appropriately repeals the older sections 328450 through 328480 to eliminate the category of retired police officer commissions. So again, the problem we are solving with this legislation that are that we are ensuring that people who get special commissions only get the type of commission that they will need to do the work that they are in fact doing. In addition, Council Bill 118476 will narrow the focus on and the scope on who gets special commissions. This legislation again, again, is about narrowing the amount of work that is done and is about focusing or assisting the police department and the city as opposed to helping one individual in their employment situation. I'll sort of close by saying there's no fiscal implications with this legislation. And on August 19th, the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee unanimously voted. This legislation passed. Thank you very. Much. Thank you. Questions or comments? Please call the roll and the passage of the bill. Harrell, I, Carter O'Brien, Okamoto Rasmussen, Sergeant Bagshaw, Gordon High and President Burgess nine and favorite and opposed. The bill passes and the chair will sign it. Please read item 29.