12,000 Complaints Allege Police Misconduct At Seattle Protests

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle's police watchdog was overwhelmed with thousands of complaints alleging officer misconduct during a weekend of demonstrations that resulted in dozens of arrests.

Several videos related to the Seattle Police Department's response went viral on social media, beginning with two clips posted early Saturday morning. The first showed an officer shoving a protester onto the sidewalk, followed by a second clip alleging the use of a chokehold as several officers had a person pinned on the ground.

On Saturday, as thousands rallied in downtown Seattle, a video shared widely on Twitter showed a young girl in agony after bystanders said she was hit by pepper spray from the police. A video posted Saturday night by Crosscut photojournalist Matt McKnight showed an officer with his knee on a man's neck during an arrest outside a T-Mobile store, before another officer moved his leg.

According to Seattle Police, officers arrested 57 people Saturday, booked on suspicion of arson, assault, destruction of property or burglary. The police department said hundreds of businesses were damaged, and at least eight cars set on fire. Mayor Jenny Durkan declared a civil emergency Saturday and instituted a 5 p.m. curfew through Sunday night. The curfew was later renewed Monday.

As protests continued Sunday afternoon, another Twitter user posted a video of a bike officer grabbing a pedestrian and putting him in a headlock.

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability, a civilian-led oversight agency that investigates allegations of misconduct, said it received approximately 12,000 complaints related to the weekend protests. A precise breakdown of the complaints received was not immediately available, but OPA Director Andrew Myerberg told Patch the "vast majority" of filings concerned the pepper-spraying of the young girl.

Monday afternoon, the OPA released a list of 10 incidents most frequently cited in the complaints:

1. Pepper spraying a young girl (Saturday)
2. Punching a person on the ground who was being arrested (Friday)
3. Placing a knee on the neck area of two people who had been arrested (Saturday)
4. Covering up badge numbers
5. Failing to record law enforcement activity on body-worn video
6. Pepper spraying peaceful protestors (Saturday)
7. The use of flashbangs, including causing a significant thumb injury (Saturday)
8. Failing to secure rifles in the rear of a patrol vehicle (Saturday)
9. Punching a person on the ground who was being arrested (Sunday)
10. Officers breaking windows of a Target store (date unknown)

The police watchdog's hotline reached capacity by Sunday, and the OPA urged new complaints be sent using its online form. Myerberg said all voicemails were downloaded Sunday afternoon and the phone system is accepting calls again.

According to the OPA, approximately 80 percent of the voicemails received Saturday — and 99 percent of those received Sunday — were from area codes outside the Seattle region.

Myerberg said all complaints related to the protest response are consolidated into a single case temporarily, but specific allegations will be split into separate investigations. Once a case is officially assigned, a preliminary investigation begins, which includes assembling videos and other evidence and interviewing the person who filed the complaint.

After the initial probe, OPA leadership determines how the complaint should be classified.

"As of now, I'm operating under the assumption that all of the allegations we identify will be subject to a full investigation," Myerberg said.

Full investigations often take six months to complete and include interviews with complainants, witnesses and employees identified in the allegations. Once complete, the OPA director publishes his findings in an executive case summary, outlining the basis for whether a policy violation occurred. For each allegation that is sustained, the police chief determines a disciplinary action, which is included in the report.