SEATTLE — A new Office of Police Accountability report states that officers waited 40 minutes to respond to a domestic disturbance call in June of 2023.
The final report, released about a year later, shows the investigation led to the police department issuing a one-day suspension for a supervisor and a written reprimand for a patrol officer.
On June 4, 2023, a call for help came in at 4:58 a.m. A woman said her ex-boyfriend was intoxicated, pushed her, and refused to leave. Officers responded and found the ex-boyfriend asleep in the backseat of a car. They told him not to return to the home, but about a half hour later, she said he was back knocking on her door. She called 911 again, but help did not arrive. She called two more times after the initial call.
An investigation found an officer was on Elliott Avenue West at the Starbucks for 40 minutes before responding. The officer's supervisor said she was there with officers in a social situation and did not think the call required an immediate response.
The Office of Police Accountability director disagreed, noting that it was a higher priority than socializing at Starbucks. He added that domestic disputes can quickly escalate into volatile or deadly situations.
Response times continue to be a topic at city hall.
Greg Doss, a supervising analyst, told a council committee during a May 28 meeting, "Response times are generally going up across the board. They have been for now for a couple of years.”
Council members say they are hearing the complaints.
"I would really like to have that granular data to what are the types of calls in which people are told there is not a response going to be made, or no response actually shows up, or a response shows up four, five, six hours later,” said Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore.