Watchdog: SPD did not violate policy by evacuating East Precinct

SEATTLE — Seattle’s police watchdog says SPD leaders did not violate policies or the law when they decided to abandon the East Precinct during anti-police protests in June 2020.

Evacuating the precinct led to the formation of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, or CHOP, in the weeks after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd.

Police left the precinct after nights of tense clashes.

Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability investigated the evacuation after citizens complained it left them without protection.

“They did not want to leave the precinct but they felt they had no other scenario at that point,” said OPA Director Andrew Myerberg.

Myerberg said investigators found Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office ordered barricades near the precinct removed to de-escalate tensions and allow protesters to pass by.

Durkan left the details about securing the precinct to then-Police Chief Carmen Best, who, in turn, delegated tactical authority to the incident commander, Assistant Chief Thomas Mahaffey.

Myerberg said there’s still disagreement between Best and Mahaffey about how much she was consulted.

“It’s a little bit of a red herring in a way because everyone agrees that Mahaffey had the authority to make the call,” Myerberg said.

Myerberg found SPD commanders did not violate policy nor the city charter by evacuating the precinct, and says staying put and securing the building wasn’t an option at a time when officials feared it could be burned down.

However, Myerberg said city leaders could have provided basic information much earlier about who made the decisions.

“Just come out and own it early on. You don’t have to go into the details but just come out and say this is what we did and down the road we’ll explain why.”

The precinct reopened about a month later, and SPD says it has made a lot of changes to improve how it responds to protests.

In the months that followed, Carmen Best retired as police chief and Jenny Durkan announced she would not seek re-election.

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