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March 29 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has agreed to end more than a decade of federal supervision over the Seattle Police Department for its use of excessive force. The department announced Tuesday it had filed a proposed agreement with Seattle to recognize the city's compliance over the past five years and end the requirements of a 2012 consent decree.
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"The joint motion filed today acknowledges the significant progress of the City of Seattle and its police department, and very clearly lays out what must happen before all requirements of the consent decree may be terminated," first assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman for the Western District of Washington said in a statement.
"This proposed agreement allows the City of Seattle to focus on these remaining critical areas so that reforms in those areas become ingrained in the ways the Seattle Police Department engages with the community," Gorman added.
The agreement will need to go to the federal judge in Washington state, who oversaw the police department's compliance, for approval.
In reviewing the police department, the Justice Department said Seattle has adopted a number of reforms that "go beyond the explicit requirements of the consent decree."
The Seattle Police Department has reduced its use of serious force by 60%, according to the Justice Department. The city has improved its response to behavioral health crises, adopting a model where police and mental health practitioners respond jointly to behavioral health incidents.
Seattle has also changed its policy and training for investigative stops. And the city has adopted a bias-free policing policy, while changing its supervision practices to ensure all patrol officers have a consistent and highly trained supervisor.
While the Seattle Police Department has made improvements, the Justice Department is still calling on officers to develop new crowd management policies and a better accountability system.
"I am here today to recognize the significant steps that the city of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department have taken to ensure constitutional policing," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division told reporters Tuesday.
"They have reached and sustained compliance with our consent decree by consistently implementing reforms necessary to change policing in this city," Clarke said.
"As a result, Seattle stands as a model for the kind of change and reform that can be achieved when communities, police departments and cities come together to repair and address systemic misconduct."
As Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell acknowledged there "remains work to be done to reduce disparities in policing," he said the proposed agreement shows "excellent progress."
"My highest Charter responsibility is delivering constitutional policing and effective public safety to every person in every neighborhood," Harrell said.
"When we advocated for a consent decree over a decade ago, it was with the knowledge that SPD could do better -- and needed to do better -- for the communities it serves," Harrell added.
"Today's joint filing recognizes the excellent progress our officers have made and our ongoing commitment to keep moving forward."
