As the city of Seattle searches for a police chief, families impacted by officer-involved shootings are getting involved in the selection process. Wednesday night, they met with Mayor Jenny Durkan to talk about the kind of leader they would like to see for the Seattle Police Department.
Family members of Charleena Lyles, Tommy Le, Daniel Covarrubias, Eugene Nelson, MiChance Gittens, and Che Taylor attended the public meeting. The families are all connected by their loss of loved ones in officer-involved shootings.
All of the incidents happened in recent years, mostly in the Seattle area. But some of the officer-involved shootings occurred in Pierce County. In certain cases, authorities called it justified, but family members see it differently.
At Wednesday night's meeting, the focus was on finding Seattle's next police chief. Mayor Durkan listened as families shared their experiences with police.
Family members called for more transparency in policing, and the mother of MiChance Gittens said, at times, a different approach is needed.
"As far as using deadly force, is it absolutely necessary? Is there another way to de-escalate the situation," she asked.
Mayor Durkan said, "It can be a real tough and dangerous job being a police officer, and that is why we have to do the cultural shift so when you get to that dangerous situation, the first reflex is not one of fear but one of training."
As the city's search continues, families said they want to turn their anguish into action by adding their voices to the conversation about Seattle's next police chief.
There are 25 members on the Mayor's search committee for Seattle's next Police Chief. There will be more community meetings before the Mayor selects a Chief. It is a decision she plans to make by June.
