Seattle cops NO LONGER ALLOWED to call bad guys a “suspect,”
Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 11:32 am
Seattle cops NO LONGER ALLOWED to call bad guys a “suspect,” now must call them…“Community member”
Yes, this is for real.
KIRO7 is reporting, When Seattle police officers write use of force reports they no longer call a suspect a suspect.
“Community member” is the new term. Several officers say the term is offensive, explaining their work with violent suspects.
Sources point to the suspect who shot three officers last month after a downtown Seattle armed robbery. When officers involved in that incident were writing their use of force reports they were required to refer to the shooter, Damarius Butts, as a “community member,” not a suspect, police sources said.
Police fatally shot Butts after they said he shot the officers.
“I think this is all in an effort to make sure our report writing sounds politically correct,” Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Kevin Stuckey told KIRO 7.
The online use of force reporting system, called Blue Team, is used for more than just use of force reports. It also tracks the department’s administrative investigations and the Early Intervention System among other reports. A photo sent to KIRO 7 shows the Blue Team in a recent online department training.
The “community member” terminology changed for multiple forms – but it’s only in the use of force reports that officers find offensive.
“The change appears to be part of a routine update by the software developer, which services more than 600 law enforcement agencies worldwide,” department spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee said. “The department’s force review section has not received any inquiries about the change.”
Some officers in the department feel the term “community member” is too vague, which in all honesty, seems to be a pretty accurate assessment.
Community members are folks who live in a particular area, go to work, contribute to society, and above all, obey the law.
A person who has committed a crime, or believed to have committed a crime, is a suspect. They are not just an ordinary, run-of-the mill citizen at that point. Isn’t it offensive to make it sound as if law-abiding citizens and criminals are on equal footing?
If someone doesn’t like to be considered a suspect, perhaps they should stay away from illegal activities, and others who are involved with such.
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Yes, this is for real.
KIRO7 is reporting, When Seattle police officers write use of force reports they no longer call a suspect a suspect.
“Community member” is the new term. Several officers say the term is offensive, explaining their work with violent suspects.
Sources point to the suspect who shot three officers last month after a downtown Seattle armed robbery. When officers involved in that incident were writing their use of force reports they were required to refer to the shooter, Damarius Butts, as a “community member,” not a suspect, police sources said.
Police fatally shot Butts after they said he shot the officers.
“I think this is all in an effort to make sure our report writing sounds politically correct,” Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Kevin Stuckey told KIRO 7.
The online use of force reporting system, called Blue Team, is used for more than just use of force reports. It also tracks the department’s administrative investigations and the Early Intervention System among other reports. A photo sent to KIRO 7 shows the Blue Team in a recent online department training.
The “community member” terminology changed for multiple forms – but it’s only in the use of force reports that officers find offensive.
“The change appears to be part of a routine update by the software developer, which services more than 600 law enforcement agencies worldwide,” department spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee said. “The department’s force review section has not received any inquiries about the change.”
Some officers in the department feel the term “community member” is too vague, which in all honesty, seems to be a pretty accurate assessment.
Community members are folks who live in a particular area, go to work, contribute to society, and above all, obey the law.
A person who has committed a crime, or believed to have committed a crime, is a suspect. They are not just an ordinary, run-of-the mill citizen at that point. Isn’t it offensive to make it sound as if law-abiding citizens and criminals are on equal footing?
If someone doesn’t like to be considered a suspect, perhaps they should stay away from illegal activities, and others who are involved with such.
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