‘Whole picture’ to be weighed in Seattle police hiring | Local News | The Seattle Times
May 6, 2013 at 8:46 PM
Past gang membership, tattoos and a record of driving while intoxicated will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in screening applicants for the Seattle Police Department under new policies designed to boost diversity on the force and hire officers who reflect the makeup of the community.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to smooth out those bumps in the road,” Assistant Police Chief Dick Reed said at a news conference Monday at the social-justice organization El Centro de la Raza as the city unveiled changes in minimum hiring standards.
The reform plan was adopted last year after a U.S. Department of Justice finding that Seattle’s police officers have too often resorted to excessive force and displayed troubling, if inconclusive, evidence of biased policing. The city later entered into a settlement agreement with the Justice Department to address the issues.
