These people will help create office to investigate deadly force by police in WA state
An advisory board has been appointed to help create the newly formed Washington State Office of Independent Investigations, which will eventually replace law enforcement investigations when police use deadly force.
The office stems from legislation intended to ensure unbiased investigations and rebuild trust between police and communities most impacted by police violence.
“When police investigate other police, far too often families and communities are left with significant questions about the incident and doubt the impartiality of the investigation,” Rep. Debra Entenman (D-Kent), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. “This new independent office will provide real accountability when police take a person’s life with a focus on working with the families of those killed.”
Gov. Jay Inslee’s office selected the 11-member advisory board, which includes representatives for law enforcement, mental health, tribes, families who have lost a loved one to police violence and prosecuting and defense attorneys.
The board’s co-chairs will be Fred Thomas, whose son was fatally shot in 2013 by a Lakewood SWAT sniper, and Tukwila Police Chief Eric Drever.
The advisory board will offer advice and input to the office’s director on the creation and operation of the office, according to Inslee’s office.
A national search is underway for candidates to lead the Office of Independent Investigations.
The minimum salary starts at $120,000. Applicants must have at least five years of experience working with homicide investigations, prosecutions, civil rights cases or criminal investigations, according to a job posting.
There is no specific timeline for when the office will be up and running, but state officials have said the hope is to be operational by next summer.
Regional teams are expected to respond to the scenes of deadly police force within one hour to secure the scene and process evidence. All members will be taught the history of racism in policing, tribal sovereignty, implicit and explicit bias, intercultural competency, racial equity lens, anti-racism and undoing institutional racism.
Investigators must be at least two years removed from professional ties with law enforcement and will be trained by the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission.
In a statement, Inslee said he hopes the newly formed office will reassure people that cases of deadly police force will be investigated fairly.
“While we cannot fully heal the wounds of the past, we can work to support those impacted going forward,” he wrote.
Here are the members of the advisory board:
▪ Monica Alexander, Tacoma, member of the Criminal Justice Training Commission
▪ Breean Beggs, Spokane, defense attorney representative
▪ Eric Drever, Bellevue, sheriff or police chief representative who is also a member of an Independent Investigation Team
▪ Norma Gallegos, Leavenworth, general public member
▪ Anthony Golik, Battle Ground, prosecuting attorney representative
▪ Philip Harju, Olympia, federally recognized tribal member
▪ Monisha Harrell, Lynnwood, general public member
▪ Susie Kroll, Monroe, mental health expert
▪ Faapouaita Leapai, Burien, general public member
▪ James Schrimpsher, Algona, representative of a police labor association
▪ Fred Thomas, Tacoma, general public member representing an impacted family
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 2:02 PM with the headline "These people will help create office to investigate deadly force by police in WA state."
