Originally published by the Inlander (http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2014/02/04/city-announces-new-police-contract-agreement) by Heidi Groover City and Spokane Police Guild negotiators have reached a new tentative contract agreement they hope will satisfy the city council, which rejected an earlier agreement and has repeatedly called for more authority for the police ombudsman. The new agreement maintains the current structure in which the […]

Originally published by Inlander (http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2013/12/12/town-hall-meeting-on-police-oversight-tonight) by Heidi Groover   There was a moment last month when things seemed to be falling apart for Mayor David Condon. The city council had, in a rushed emergency vote, unanimously rejected a contract agreement the mayor had spent 21 months hashing out with the Spokane Police Guild. Council members […]

Originally published by the Inlander (http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2013/10/12/more-from-this-weeks-ombudsman-vote) by Heidi Groover In this week’s issue, we have a story on the lengthy, and increasingly bizarre, struggle to empower Spokane’s Office of Police Ombudsman. Police accountability advocates have long pushed for independent investigative powers for the office, but the city’s contract with the Spokane Police Guild hasn’t allowed […]

Originally published by the Inlander (http://www.inlander.com/spokane/the-race-card/Content?oid=2195467) by Jacob Jones In a new program to track police interactions and deter racial profiling, Spokane Police officers will start packing statistic forms while out patrolling their beats next year. Every time an officer questions a citizen or makes a traffic stop, the officer will have to fill out […]

Originally published by The Spokesman-Review (http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/oct/08/spokane-city-council-pares-down-police-oversight/) by Mike Prager Spokane City Council members voted unanimously Monday to create a new citizen Police Ombudsman Commission to oversee future investigations of officer misconduct and police performance. Council members backed away from a proposal to empower the existing police ombudsman to conduct independent investigations. An announcement last week that the […]