CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE requiring that certain uniformed peace officers do not cover with a mourning band the serial number that is engraved on their badge; amending Section 3.28.130 of the Seattle Municipal Code; declaring an emergency; and establishing an immediate effective date; all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.
body
WHEREAS, the City of Seattle has a history of promoting trust and cooperation in the interactions of its citizens with the police; and
WHEREAS, anonymous actions by individual uniformed peace officers interfere with and damage this trust and cooperation and harm the integrity of the City's police department; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle City Council passed on September 25, 2000 legislation that requires police officers to wear unobscured name tags that display an officer's first initial and last name; and
WHEREAS, law enforcement officers commonly cover the middle of their badge with a black band, known as a mourning band, to honor officers lost while serving their community; and
WHEREAS, the mourning band will often cover the badge's serial number, which can be used by a citizen to identify an officer; and
WHEREAS, officer name tags are not always visible to citizens that are interacting with officers in crowds such as those that are present at protests and other large events; and
WHEREAS, citizens that have participated in the rallies and demonstrations protesting the murder of George Floyd have indicated that they have been unable to identify officers because they could not see a name tag and that the officer's badge serial number was covered with a mourning band; and
WHEREAS, the City Council overwhelmingly supports the police tradition of using a mourning band to commemorate fallen officers, but also acknowledges that mourning bands are currently preventing citizens from identifying officer badge numbers;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOL...
Click here for full text