This is a followup to last week’s briefing on SPD’s overtime audit. In a side note, it was pointed out that SPD bills event organizers after the fact for police services, but has poor follow-through on collecting on those bill. Council member Burgess had asked SPD for a list of the organizations with the biggest outstanding bills, and noted that it was interesting to see who owes SPD money — and particularly how many federal government agencies made the list. Burgess’s office gave me a copy of the list, and it is indeed interesting.
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News roundup: Police, labor, garbage, and more
News about SPD and labor laws still tops the news today. Plus foode waste, bikes lanes, municipal broadband, and more.
Continue readingCity’s response to unauthorized homeless encampments evolves
Wednesday afternoon the City Council heard from the Human Services Department and the Mayor’s Office about how the city’s approach to unauthorized homeless encampments continues to evolve. There was a bit of good news, some key insights on best practices, and some fairly blunt admissions of things that simply aren’t working — or are about to get worse.
Continue readingNotes from the SPD overtime audit briefing
This morning, the Gender Equity, Safe Communities, and New Americans Committee was briefed by the City Auditor on their recently-released audit report on the Seattle Police Department’s use and management of overtime. I wrote on the report when it was first released, and much of today’s discussion is a repeat of that, so I won’t give a blow-by-blow report. But here are my notes of things said today that provide new points or “color commentary” based on the Council members’ interpretation of what they heard.
Continue readingMorning news roundup: Water quality, Council staff, labor issues
Seattle’s water quality, legislative staff increases, and labor law enforcement top this morning’s news.
Continue readingThis week: water quality, SPD overtime, labor issues, and more!
The Seattle City Council will hear several interesting briefings this week, covering water quality, police overtime, secure scheduling and paid family leave, and directed investigations of labor violations.
Continue readingNews roundup: inquests, UW landmark buildings, small business
A judge rules that UW can ignore local landmark ordinances, police inquests come under the microscope, and both the Mayor and the City Council claim to love small businesses.
Continue readingUnderstanding the SPD Overtime Audit Report
Earlier this week the Office of the City Auditor released a report on the Seattle Police Department’s use of overtime. The report exposes just how much work SPD Chief O’Toole has in front of her in her efforts to get the police department straightened out.
Continue readingNews roundup: Arena, Kubly ethic probe, homeless issues, and more
News coverage is all over the map this morning.
Continue readingNews roundup: Viaduct closure, SODO Arena, Police overtime
The upcoming two-week closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct tops the news this morning.
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