Seattle Police Department
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Image:Seattle-police-shield.gif The Seattle Police Department, popularly known as the SPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, except for on the campus of the University of Washington, where that responsibility falls to the University of Washington Police Department. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Seattle Police Department has various specialty units including SWAT, bike patrol, harbor patrol, motorcycles, mounted patrols.
Law enforcement in Seattle began with the appointment of William H. ("Uncle Joe") Surber as town marshal in 1861. The SPD was officially organized on June 2, 1886. As of 2003 it had 1,262 sworn officers.
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Command Structure
The chief of the Seattle police department is R. Gil Kerlikowske.
Bureau Commanders include:
- Deputy Chief John Diaz (Deputy Chief of Administration)
- Deputy Chief Clark Kimerer (Deputy Chief of Operations)
- Assistant Chief Harry Bailey (Patrol Operations Bureau 2)
- Assistant Chief Nick Metz (Patrol Operations Bureau 1)
- Assistant Chief Linda Pierce (Criminal Investigations Bureau)
- Assistant Chief Jim Pugel (Field Support Bureau)
- Assistant Chief Ted Jacoby (Emergency Preparedness Bureau).
Bike Unit
The SPD bicycle patrol unit began in the summer of 1987. Comprised of just 2 officers, the department was attracted to the ease of movement and operation that the bicycles afforded the riders. With the construction of the metro bus tunnel, officers needed an easier way to maneuver around downtown when responding to calls. The success of the bikes led to the addition of 2 more officers. A squad was formed the following summer and Alki Beach began utilizing a bike patrol as well.
Over time, the pro-active unit began to grow in size and reputation and the originality of the project grew across the country. Today hundreds of police departments have bike patrol units based on the Seattle Police Department's original program.
To join the unit, every Officer must complete a week long training session where they receive specialized instruction. From riding up and down stairways to cone courses and emergency dismounts, Officers who complete the session are capable of a vast array of maneuvers on a mountain bike. Recently, the unit has been instrumental in crowd control during protests or riots.
Today there are day and night bike patrol squads proactively participating in undercover and on view narcotics enforcement, crowd control and continually responding to 911 calls. While the West Precinct (downtown) carries the largest squad, every precinct in the city uses bike patrol to aid in providing police services to the city.
In 2005 the department started testing the use of BlackBerry PDA's with bike patrol officers. These PDA's allowed officers on the streets access to police records when the use of regular mobile data computer is not available.
K-9 Unit
The Seattle Police Department Canine Unit is made up of one sergeant, one training officer, and 13 officers and their K9 partners. Of the 13 officers who are assigned a dog, 11 officers handle generalist or "tracking" dogs, and the other two handle narcotics dogs. The tracking dogs locate felony and misdemeanor suspects who run from the scene of a crime and attempt to hide. The dogs locate many of these suspects as they hide under porches, on roofs, in sheds, or even in the basements of private residences. The dogs also locate suspects hiding in bushes, up trees, under cars, and in the waters of Lake Washington and Puget Sound. These dogs also search buildings and locate suspects hiding inside.
The tracking teams work with patrol and are assigned throughout the city during night hours. If the tactical situation does not allow the use of the police dog, K9 officers provide backup for Patrol officers and assist with arrests. Two of the tracking teams are also assigned to the SWAT team. These two teams train with SWAT on a regular basis. They respond to SWAT call outs and stand by to chase fleeing suspects and search buildings when needed.
The number of suspects located by these tracking dogs over the last three years is significant. SPD K9s have successfully located and assisted in the apprehension of 835 felony suspects and 168 misdemeanor suspects from 1999 through 2001. These suspects would have evaded arrest if not for the Seattle Canine tracking teams.
There are now two narcotics dogs and officer-handlers in the unit. The second team was added at the end of the year 2001, and the statistics for the narcotics team shown in the table should double in the year 2002. These two teams are responsible for locating narcotics that have been hidden in houses, cars, and buried in yards. The dogs are also used to obtain search warrants. These teams work with the Narcotics Unit, Anti-Crime Teams, and Patrol. All teams work almost exclusively night hours. The K9 training officer trains these teams on a constant basis and provide refreshers to working units every night.
SWAT Team
The Seattle Police SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics Team) consists of 24 Police Officers, 4 Sergeants and 1 Lieutenant who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The unit's specially trained personnel provide tactical response to hostage situations, barricaded persons, sniper and terrorism incidents, crowd control during major disturbances or riots, work or school place violence and high-risk search warrant entries for various investigative units including Homicide, Robbery, Narcotics and Domestic Violence. They also support precincts by conducting drug emphasis backup and respond with patrol on high-risk calls for service.
When heads of state and international dignitaries visit Seattle, SWAT provides motorcade security and protection in collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of State. In addition, SWAT works directly with the Department's 20-person Hostage Negotiation Team to resolve hostage incidents non-violently.
To maintain the skills necessary to handle high-risk situations, SWAT members train rigorously on a weekly basis. Many SWAT members hold instructor ratings in various disciplines and provide instruction to other Department members and law enforcement agencies around the state. When their schedule permits, many members also provide firearms instruction to assist SPD Range staff in training and qualifications.
Mounted Unit
Mounted Officers are extremely visible, uniquely approachable and, through their presence, encourage citizens to interact with officers while discouraging criminal acts.
In 2001, the unit moved from an aging structure in Volunteer Park to new facilities in Westcrest Park in West Seattle.
The Mounted Unit is headed by a Sergeant and includes four Officers and one civilian Laborer. Officers perform basic police functions from horseback such as maintaining the peace, enforcing laws and ordinances, and protecting life and property. Mounted Officers are useful in situations requiring mobility, especially in over 5,000 acres (20 km²) of City parks and other areas with limited vehicle access. They have proven successful in patrolling business districts and neighborhoods, including high crime areas.
The Officers are especially effective through use of voluntary compliance tactics in reducing the potential for face-to-face confrontation in large crowd situations. The unit averages over 2,000 Special Event Hours annually.