Bellevue Legal News: Seattle Divorce & Domestic Violence Lawyer

Seattle Police Defend Actions Taken in Domestic Violence Response

Recently, the Department of Justice issued a sobering report on the Seattle Police Department regarding the officers’ use of excessive force and the lack of consequences for using such force. However, Seattle police say that one example of excessive force highlighted in the report is actually an example of why the report is flawed. The incident involved an alleged Seattle domestic violence crime. 

On New Year’s Eve 2010, Seattle Police were called to the home of a woman who said that her boyfriend trespassed on her property and attacked her. She told police that she had a no-contact order against the man, who had recently been released from jail. Although the man fled before officers arrived at the residence, he returned later that night. 

When police arrived for the second time, the man had wrapped an electrical cord around her neck, assaulted her, taken off his pants, smothered her with a pillow, and knocked over the Christmas tree. He was standing over her cowering body on the couch. While what happened next is not clear, the Department of Justice believes that the man was tackled by a gang of officers and could have involved the improper use of flashlights or batons. The DOJ said that one officer should have taken the man into custody.

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