Puyallup Seeks Civilian Reps For Police Oversight Board

PUYALLUP, WA — The Puyallup Police Department is looking for two city residents to become a part of a new police oversight board that would investigate incidents where police used deadly force, killing civilians. The announcement comes just one day after the Washington State Attorney General announced a plan to review all police investigations into deadly use of force in 2020.

Puyallup Police say the board would be a "multi-agency Independent Investigative Team," or IIT, which will be composed of civilians from across Pierce County and will be called on to investigate all deadly use of force incidents by police in the region.

The position is volunteer only and is not compensated, and requires that both board members prove they live inside Puyallup. Anyone who is interested is asked to submit a letter to the Puyallup Police Department, attention of Chief Scott Engle, before 5 p.m. on July 10. Applicants should describe their personal background, their involvement in community affairs and why they're interested in serving as a citizen representative.

The Puyallup Police Department says the board is the result of Initiative 940— a police reform initiative passed by voters in November 2018. I-940 requires that all deadly use of force by police be investigated by an independent law enforcement agency.

How well Washington state law enforcement agencies have been in compliance with I-940 has recently been called into question. Earlier this month it came to light that the Pierce County Sheriff's Department failed to meet several of the legal requirements set forth by the initiative. During the investigation into death of Manuel Ellis, who was killed while being restrained by Tacoma Police, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department failed to report for months that they had deputies on scene at the time of Ellis' death, meaning their investigation was not independent and therefore invalid under I-940.

Subsequent investigation found Pierce County had failed at least two other legal requirements: deputies had not appointed community members to be a part of the review process and had not set up a liaison with Ellis' immediate family.

As a result, not only was the Pierce County Sheriff's Department's investigation discontinued and handed to Washington State Patrol, the state has announced they will review all law enforcement probes into police killings to make sure that law enforcement agencies across the state are following the mandates of Initiative 940.

Related: Washington Will Review All 2020 Police Deadly Use Of Force Probes