4 King County Jail Employees Investigated Over Social Media Posts

SEATTLE, WA — The Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention is investigating the social media behavior of four employees at the King County Correctional Facility, officials confirmed to Patch this week.

On Monday, Seattle attorney and advocate Sade' Smith shared screenshots appearing to show Facebook posts from several employees, including a sergeant at the jail. One post includes a photo of the Kenosha, Wisconsin protest shooting that left two people dead and is captioned "Great shot!!!! 2 less votes for uncle joe. Trump Trump Trump!!!" Another post reads "If America is so Racist, why do so many Black and Brown people want to migrate here?"

Smith said the screenshots were sent to her by an employee at the jail.

A spokesperson for the detention center told Patch that a corrections officer notified command staff about the sergeant's post on Monday, prompting a referral to the Internal Investigations Unit. Officials said the unit is investigating three other cases involving social media posts, but it was not immediately clear when those probes began.

Smith said at least two of the posts she shared were brought to the department's attention earlier than this week.

Once an internal investigation concludes, a report is sent to a commander to determine whether the allegations will be sustained. If they are, John Diaz, the department's director, ultimately decides any disciplinary action.

In a statement to Patch, Diaz wrote:

"This is a large organization with a diverse workforce doing a very difficult job. The vast majority do their jobs very well. We will not tolerate racism or the promotion of violence on social media or other forums. That applies in the workplace or on personal time. We will take immediate action whenever allegations of this type of inappropriate conduct come to light, as we have in the most recent case. After a thorough investigation, if the allegations are sustained, we will take disciplinary action."

According to DAJD, all employees received a memo on June 15 regarding social media behavior, which made clear that violations of the code of conduct while on or off duty could result in discipline. That memo, provided to Patch on Friday, references ongoing demonstrations and reminds staff "to be mindful and use social media in a responsible, professional, ethical, and lawful manner at all times."

The memo continues:

"The personal use of social media can have bearings on employees in their official capacity, as they are held to a high standard by the community. Engaging in discriminatory, hostile, derogatory, or negative messages may undermine or impeach an employee's credibility and testimony in legal proceedings. Any social media postings that you believe are 'private' could always be forwarded or viewed by others not in your original intended audience. Social media postings that violate DAJD policies or DAJD's Employee Code of Conduct, made whether on or off duty, will be thoroughly investigated."

Patch requested the total number of internal investigations among DAJD staff in 2020 and asked whether any of the four employees being investigated for their online conduct were placed on leave. Neither piece of information was provided at the time of publication.

Sade' Smith, who worked as a public defender in King County for five years before starting a private defense firm, said the recent posts are indicative of longterm, systemic issues within the jail.

"To say that it's a few people is like, a huge understatement," Smith said. "These are the posts that I have right now, I know that there are a lot more."

Before coming to King County, Smith worked as a public defender in Skagit County and said the difference between the two facilities is stark.

"When I was a public defender, I'd routinely hear about DAJD staff being rude to people, being violent with people, even corrections officers I've spoken to acknowledge that," Smith said. "Especially if somebody is Black, they will take the opportunity to harm them, if they can find any type of justification that they think other people accept."

Inappropriate behavior on social media is also not a new problem among staff, Smith said, referencing a case she looked into in 2018, after a supervisor appeared to mock a former subordinate's suicide in a Facebook post.

Since demonstrations over police brutality and systemic racism began in late May, Smith has repeatedly visited the jail and represented protesters who have been arrested by police. Smith says she has personally witnessed officers use physical force on people in detention and encountered roadblocks in obtaining basic information.

Related: She Protested In Seattle, Then Spent 2 'Terrifying' Days In Jail

"They're fighting us for even trying to get information on the emails regarding COVID-positive tests, or even people being symptomatic for COVID in custody," Smith said. "They just do everything to try to be harmful and secretive and exercise control over people."

Another area of concern is the condition of the jail itself, something especially evident amid an ongoing public health crisis.

"It's gross, it's freezing, there's no exposure to sunlight...COVID is extending out people's trials for all types of stuff, and people are locked up in extreme isolation in there," Smith said. "During this time when everything's emotionally stressful, I can't imagine being locked in a cage, not being able to breathe outside — and the risk to their health."

As for the officers under investigation, Smith believes they should be fired.

"We're talking about people who have obvious racial issues being in charge over people with no power, and that's just dangerous," Smith said. "You're not qualified to be in that situation, you need to be doing something else."

Beyond that, Smith supports abolishing the department itself.

"I think that DAJD needs to be disbanded totally," Smith said. "They're already trying to phase out the jail because it's so ridiculous. It's super expensive to run ... it's not safe in there, and it's filthy."

In July, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a phased closure of the Seattle jail "once the COVID-19 pandemic has been brought under control."

In the memo, addressed to DAJD Director Diaz, Constantine continued:

"The building, finished in 1986, was among the last of its kind. It features a design that’s now considered obsolete. As many of you know, it’s expensive to operate and doesn’t serve our security, healthcare, or efficiency needs.

To decrease our reliance on secure detention, the Executive intends to support programs for prevention, diversion, rehabilitation, and harm reduction. As the County seeks out new models for public safety, your department leaders will continue to support orderly and secure operations. We hope to have more details on the plans for KCCF after the Executive prepares the budget later this year."

Constantine also pledged to close Seattle's youth detention facility by 2025.