Seattle has new policy on police department ‘ruses’ and when it is permissible for officers to lie – Top Seattle

In one of the more peculiar outcomes in changes to the way Seattle polices itself to emerge from the 2020 protests, the Seattle Police Department has a new policy on so-called “ruses” and the five circumstance when it is permissible for officers to lie. The new policy comes after years of complaints and debate shaped by the SPD response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter and anti-police protests.

This week, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the implementation of what his administration says is the nation’s “first policy governing the use of police patrol ruses.”

“Effective public safety requires community buy-in, and this new policy is an important step to build understanding with the public, demonstrating that for SPD operations to be successful, they must be paired with a commitment to unbiased, constitutional policing,” Harrell said in the announcement. “This innovative new policy will lead to better police work thanks to the voices of many, including the media who brought attention to this tactic, community members who called for guidelines to match our values, and Seattle accountability and police leaders who developed a plan to make that vision real.”

The new policy comes after criticism of the tactic’s use during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. CHS reported here on the fallout from a Proud Boy ruse broadcast on SPD radio in the summer of 2020 when SPD commanders including an assistant chief shaped an “improper ruse” targeting demonstrators, the media, and the public with faked police officer radio reports describing a group of 20 to 30 armed right wing extremists roaming the streets of city and headed to Capitol Hill for a fight. Though many caught onto the ruse even as the phony broadcasts were underway, the strategy heightened tensions and further eroded trust with the police department.

An Office of Police Accountability report issued in 2022 determined that SPD command was aware of the ruse efforts.

Under the new policy, the city and SPD say officers are permitted to use a ruse — “a statement an officer knows is not true” – in limited circumstances under existing law. The city’s new policy, officials say, adds further guidelines and restricts the use of the ploys to “five scenarios.” Those umbrella covers a wide set of circumstances — including “de-escalation,” “to call or provide comfort,” to “promote safety of any person,” “scene management,” and “to bring potentially violent situations to a peaceful resolution.”

“Patrol ruses may also be used for investigative purposes where there is reasonable suspicion of a crime,” the policy states.

The Harrell administration says the new policy defines “appropriate uses of ruses for de-escalation and investigation, while also creating clear accountability through requirements for documentation, supervisor approval, and protections for juveniles.”

In a nod to the Proud Boy ruse, the new policy also prohibits ruses “broadcast via mass media.”

The policy is also shaped by a previous incident in 2018, the Seattle Times reports, when a man killed himself after an SPD officer shaped a ruse that led the man to believe a person had been critically injured in a car crash.

Officers cannot use ruses that offer “false promises regarding prosecution” or “shock the conscience,” the Harrell administration says.

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