TACOMA, Wash. — The city is making attempts to increase transparency and accountability around the Tacoma Police Department in the wake of three officers, who were acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges, resigning from the police department.
Lawrence White has lived in Tacoma for 28 years, and serves the faith community as the bishop of Church of the Living God, and the president of the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance.
He’s watched the city grow and change over time, and said that a strong relationship is built on three things: “It’s built on truth, it’s built on trust, and it’s built on transparency,” he said.
But he says the city has always struggled to uphold those tenets when it comes to its police department, creating a strained relationship between the Tacoma community and police, especially in light of recent events.
Last month, three Tacoma police officers charged in the death of Manuel Ellis were acquitted, and earlier this week, all three were cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation by the Tacoma Police Department.
It was also revealed that the city would pay each officer $500,000 for resigning from the police department.
Bishop White says the City’s response to Ellis’ death continue to erode the Department’s goodwill with community.
“There’s a tremendous amount of mistrust, and not just in policing, but in local government,” White said. “There’s a lot of concern, a very strong reverberation of voices going forward, including calling for jobs of local politicians.”
On Wednesday, Mayor Victoria Woodards announced that Tacoma is working to repair that trust.
A new position is being put together that aims to build a stronger relationship between the city and the Community's Police Advisory Committee (CPAC). CPAC is made up of 11 civilian Tacoma residents who review police policy, procedures, rules, training, completed investigations, and programs.
Specific details on when the position begins accepting candidates will be available soon, according to the mayor.
Mayor Woodards said this new position will serve as a liaison between the city manager and CPAC, and provide a direct line of communication when it comes to discussing police policy.
Taking steps to increase transparency benefits everyone in Tacoma, and should be embraced, Woodards said.
“I think sometimes when we talk about transparency and accountability, it seems punitive, like we only want accountability so we can find something wrong,” she explained. “The community wants accountability so they know what’s going on.”
She also said Tacoma is willing to put in the work to rebuild the trust that’s been lost in the past when it comes to policing.
“I certainly understand the distrust that community has, and it’s not up to them, it’s up to us to prove to them that we’re trustworthy,” she said.
Bishop White says he appreciates what’s been done by the city and Police Chief Avery Moore to reform the Tacoma Police Department so far.
But he also warns there’s still a long way to go, saying that Tacoma can’t afford to pull back, otherwise the tenuous relationship between the city and the community around policing may break down completely.
“I applaud our young adults and our young leaders who are stepping up and creating a voice for themselves on behalf of transparency, policing, and local government,” he said. “They have made that happen through very peaceful processes. But my concern is, if we falter, if we miss the mark of continued progress, that that won’t always be the case, that’s just an unfortunate reality.”