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Police sergeant won't face punishment after lying about KIRO 7 crew actions

The video shows Lora Alcantara walking to the driver’s side, open up the door, and appear to examine something in the door. She leaves the door open and walks back to her patrol car. Image via SPDwatcher/Youtube screenshot

A Seattle Police Department sergeant will not face punishment after lying about the actions of a KIRO 7 reporter and photographer.  She will get to keep a higher salary and promotion that came after the lie because of her union’s agreement with the City of Seattle.

The incident happened on Feb. 27, 2013 as Seattle police were chasing a car, when the driver stopped the car, got out and ran away.

KIRO 7 reporter Essex Porter and a KIRO 7 photographer arrived at the scene of the abandoned car and shot video of the car.

Unbeknownst to the KIRO 7 journalists, Seattle Police Department Officer Lora Alcantara told her supervisor, “The news crew was here going through the car.” When questioned about it, she responded, “Yes, they opened up that door.”

According to an Office of Professional Accountability report released Tuesday, “Less than three minutes before, [Alcantara] tells her supervisor that the news crew had opened up ‘that door,’ the [officer] can be seen opening the driver’s door and leaving it open”.

The lie did not come to light until more than three years later in March 2016, when a journalist at KING 5 called KIRO 7’s Essex Porter to ask him about the just-released recording of the officer’s false statement to her supervisor at the scene.

KIRO 7 immediately contacted the Seattle Police Department to explain that our journalists did not touch the car.

In Tuesday's OPA report, the officer admits making the false statements "in the heat of the moment." She acknowledges that she never saw anyone from KIRO 7 touch the car.

The Office of Police Accountability Director recommended “a finding of Sustained for this allegation.”

But, the report says Seattle’s police chief cannot discipline the officer because the statute of limitations is limited to three years in the police union agreement. The complaint came in three years and two months after the incident.

Since the incident, but before the lie came to light, the officer was promoted to sergeant and she will get to keep her job and her promotion.

Watch video here.