Seattle Police Chief Responds To Trump's Call For Police Brutality

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole late Friday night released a statement that, in part, addresses remarks made by President Donald Trump where he encourages police to treat criminal suspects roughly. O'Toole's statement also appears to confront statements about her job performance made by mayoral candidate Mike McGinn.

Trump spoke Friday in front of police from Suffolk County, New York, at a rally ostensibly about gang violence. At one point, Trump told the officers that they shouldn't worry about the well-being of suspects.

“Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over, like, don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody, don’t hit their head, I said, ‘You can take the hand away, OK?’” Trump said. He also said that police should not be "too nice" when putting suspects in paddy wagons - an especially strange remark following the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, whose spine was severed after a "rough ride" in the back of a Baltimore police paddy wagon.

The Seattle Police Department is operating under the supervision of a federal monitor after a 2011 Department of Justice investigation found a pattern of excessive force within the department. O'Toole's remarks applaud the work the department has done to reduce use of force - in April, the federal monitor, Merrick Bobb, found that Seattle police had come into compliance with the DOJ's use-of-force standards. O'Toole was hired in 2014 after the consent decree was in place.

Here's O'Toole's full statement:

Seattle’s police officers have embraced reform and have worked incredibly hard to build community trust. We do not intend to go backwards. It is truly unfortunate that in today’s toxic environment, politicians at both ends of the spectrum have sought to inflame passions by politicizing what we do. We remain committed to our principles and reject irresponsible statements that threaten to undermine our relationship with the community.

The "politicians at both ends of the spectrum" likely refers to McGinn, who this week took to Twitter to criticize O'Toole for seeking a job monitoring the Baltimore Police Department's court-ordered reforms. O'Toole also serves part-time as the head of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, a job that requires her to travel to Ireland.

"Is Seattle ok with our police chief holding two other jobs?" McGinn wrote on Twitter.

O'Toole was hired by Mayor Ed Murray, and she recently told Crosscut that she doesn't know if she'll remain chief after Murray leaves office.

Trump's remarks, meanwhile, have been condemned by police departments - including Suffolk County police - and police organizations across the nation.

"Law enforcement officers are trained to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy," the International Association of Police Chiefs wrote in a blog post Friday.

Image via Seattle police