Police Union Says Contract Violation Should Prevent Firing
The Seattle police union that represents rank and file officers really doesn’t want to allow the SPD to fire Officer Cynthia Whitlatch, who faces termination over her controversial arrest of an elderly black veteran last year.
In a recent statement, SPOG claims the department’s misconduct review arm, the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), failed to abide by a 180-day deadline to complete an investigation into the Whitlatch incident. The deadline is written into the union’s collective bargaining agreement with the city. Therefore, SPOG claims, “NO DISCIPLINE may result from this investigation.”
Former officer David Blackmer, who the SPD fired in 2014 for “cyberstalking” women, is citing the same alleged contract violation in an attempt to win his job back.
But this is a new line of attack by SPOG on the department’s attempt to hold Officer Whitlatch accountable for the arrest of Wingate—which sparked outrage across the country after it was caught on a dash cam video.