The following editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:
The launching of a new state agency tasked with investigating deadly force used by law enforcement agencies is months past due. The Office of Independent Investigations was to open in July. But delays in hiring and other logistical hiccups has prevented that from happening.
In 2021, the Legislature passed House Bill 1267, which created the OII in response to the death of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, both at the hands of police officers. It was one of a few bills passed in Olympia that year as part of a national awakening surrounding the treatment of Black people and racial bias among law enforcement.
Police abuse of power is more than just “a few bad apples,” as some often argue; it is systemic. Misuse of deadly force is serious. That’s why accountability, fairness and transparency are needed.
Washington’s OII, the first such agency created by a state in the nation, is another step in bringing accountability and fairness when it comes to investigating such police action.
When people lose their lives at the hands of police, interested parties from the families, to activists, to police to prosecutors often point fingers. An independent agency undertaking an investigation is more likely to result in justice, and help law enforcement agencies create policies that protect the public and good officers.
The new office would take an investigation out of the hands of officers in local jurisdictions, many of whom know each other. For instance, in the Ellis case, the Pierce County sheriff’s department investigated for three months before disclosing a conflict of interest. Ellis’ death was ruled a homicide, and three Tacoma officers are now charged in his death.
The Office of Independent Investigations, under the leadership of former King County Superior Court judge and federal prosecutor Roger Rogoff, is tasked with creating the infrastructure in which the agency will operate to investigate such incidents.
Once up and running, it will employ roughly 80 people, including some trained in homicide and use-of-force investigations. Those working as investigators cannot be associated with any law enforcement agency. The agency also will have people with no background in law enforcement.
Implementation of a bill often takes time. Those who are directly impacted and have pushed for such a bill may find themselves frustrated as the months go by. Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, who along with Rep. David Hackney, D-Tukwila, were the initial sponsors of the bill, said she expects the agency to be operational by summer 2023.
Rogoff and others who are working to get the agency started should not yield to pressure to rush something into place, but remain methodical, careful and “independent,” in order to create an entity that will withstand any attempts to dismantle it.
