SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department is implementing a new policy that will govern the use of police ruses.
Mayor Bruce Harrell directed the police department to develop the policy following cases in 2018 and 2020 that undermined public trust, according to his office.
Under existing laws, police officers can use statements they know not to be true in limited circumstances. The new policy, which is in effect Nov. 1, sets further limitations around the use of ruses, limiting them to five scenarios.
Police patrol ruses may now be used in the following circumstances:
- To further de-escalate a situation
- To calm or provide comfort to a person
- To promote the safety of a person
- For scene management
- To bring potentially violent situations to peaceful resolutions
Ruses may also be used for investigative purposes when there is a reasonable suspicion of a crime, unless it is an investigation of misdemeanor property crime.
The policy also requires proper documentation, supervisor approval and proper protections for people under 18. It prohibits ruses from being broadcast via mass media. Ruses cannot make false promises regarding prosecution. Under the policy, ruses cannot create a situation or form of deception "that falls outside the standards of civilized decency and seems grossly unjust to the observer."
Victoria Beach, Chair for SPD’s African American Advisory Council has been working to bridge the gap between community and police, something that has been tough after several controversies have tested the public’s trust in police.
“I think it's crazy that they had to make a policy not to lie. It is a step in the right direction. You know, we the community have lost a lot of trust in SPD and this is I think bringing some back,” Beach said.
Police faked Proud Boys radio chatter
The most recent incident of a police ruse that gained widespread attention occurred during the 2020 racial justice protests.
Fake radio chatter on June 8, 2020, about members of the Proud Boys marching around downtown Seattle, some possibly carrying guns, and then heading to confront protesters on Capitol Hill was an improper “ruse,” or dishonest ploy, that exacerbated a volatile situation, according to a report from Seattle's Office of Police Accountability (OPA).
Omari Salisbury, a journalist for Converge Media, was the one through public disclosure requests uncovered the radio call was fake.
“I was just doing my job. You know, that's, that's it. I think that that's the bigger, maybe take away from all of this is that you know, in a very rigid system, that policies can change,” Salisbury said.
Salisbury said the ruse radio call could have escalated the situation.
“As you can imagine, when it came across the police scanner, people had left from Capitol Hill to actually see if the proud boys are out there. Other people that actually went to go arm themselves in anticipation of a potential gun battle that might occur at Cal Anderson Park,” Salisbury said.
A lieutenant with the Seattle Police Operations Center told OPA the radio communications may have been made to test "the response of individuals who the department believed was monitoring its communication channels."
In 2022, during his first significant press conference, Harrell called the ruse "unacceptable."