SEATTLE — Mayor Bruce Harrell has accepted the resignation of Office of Police Accountability Director Gino Betts Jr., who has faced criticism from interim police Chief Sue Rahr over his handling of officer discipline.
Harrell said Office of Police Accountability Deputy Director Bonnie Glenn will take over as the civilian director of the agency responsible for investigating police misconduct and making disciplinary recommendations to the chief.
Betts has faced criticism for his handling of the investigation into former Chief Adrian Diaz and his relationship with former chief of staff Jamie Tompkins, a onetime television news anchor. Tompkins resigned after she and Diaz came under investigation for allegedly lying and breaking confidentiality. Diaz remains on administrative leave while the city’s Office of Inspector General — the oversight agency of the Office of Police Accountability — conducts an independent investigation.
Rahr, who was appointed interim chief in May, has overturned a series of disciplinary recommendations from Betts, revealing tension in their relationship. Rahr has complained to the mayor’s office that Betts has nitpicked discipline in minor misconduct cases and not prioritized major investigations.
In the highest-profile of those cases, Rahr overturned a sustained finding of biased policing against former officer and police union Vice President Daniel Auderer, whose dismissive comments over the death of a young woman struck and killed by a speeding police cruiser caused the department international embarrassment.
Betts pushed for Auderer’s termination, with Rahr concurring. However, Auderer and his boss, Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan, blame Betts for leaking the existence of the comments, which were captured on Auderer’s body camera, which he had inadvertently left running.
The comments were actually uncovered by a public-disclosure officer and referred to the department’s lawyer, who contacted Betts to open an investigation.
Auderer and Solan — the person Auderer was talking to when he made those comments — have mounted a vitriolic campaign against Betts and the Office of Police Accountability, amplifying their complaints through interviews with right-wing columnist and talk-radio host Jason Rantz.
Meanwhile, an anonymous group of self-proclaimed Office of Police Accountability “whistleblowers” sent a lengthy letter to the mayor, the City Council and Seattle media complaining about Betts’ management style and priorities.
