Seattle police continue to abuse, ignore the department’s COVID-19 face mask policy
A viral tweet from a Seattle-area ER nurse is just one example of police officers refusing to abide by state and county public health orders.
Over the past week, the latest controversy involving the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has gained widespread social media attention. If you’ve attended a protest, rally, or had an interaction with a Seattle police officer since the COVID-19 pandemic began, this story is unlikely to surprise you.
Hundreds of images, videos, and first-hand accounts of officers not wearing face coverings while on duty have circulated online, with those concerns largely falling on deaf ears among SPD leadership. However, a recent viral tweet has forced the department to address the issue that activists, protesters, and community members have been pointing to for months: many officers don’t wear masks and often flat-out refuse to do so when asked.
“Multiple nurses handed him masks. When I saw he threw them away I asked if there was a problem,” one tweet reads. “[The officer] put his hand in my face and said ‘Miss, I’m here to do my job and you interrupting me is keeping me from that. If you need to have a conversation about masks it can wait.’”
The ER nurse who goes by “casual weekend mom” on Twitter said in a statement that this isn’t about politics.
“It’s about holding an individual accountable for his actions. In a system where bad behavior is routinely covered up rather than addressed. We don’t often see consequences for police like we do for anyone else,” she says. “If I acted in a way that put patients at risk I would likely lose my license. Police are not above the laws that they work to uphold and I hope this incident helps to bring a fair light to that.”
Less than 24 hours after the viral tweet, SPD released a statement that acknowledged the incident in question but failed to address countless documented instances of officers appearing to violate department mask guidelines.
“It has been brought to our attention through social media that an officer was seen not wearing a mask. All our officers and civilian employees have previously been directed to follow CDC and City of Seattle mask guidelines for their safety and the safety of our community,” the statement reads. “The behavior outlined in last night’s post is unacceptable and not what we expect of our Department members….We will hold our personnel accountable for actions that violate policy and the trust of the community we serve.”
While this incident appears to be an egregious violation of the department’s face mask policy, many are quick to draw attention to the fact that this was not just one isolated occurrence. Also troubling, it seems to have taken a viral tweet for the department and Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability (OPA) to seem interested in holding those in violation accountable.
Aisling Cooney, a protester in Seattle, points out that it doesn’t take too much effort to find an SPD officer violating face mask policy. “The offense of not wearing a mask in the hospital and continuing to refuse after being asked by medical staff, and front liners against the COVID-19 pandemic, is particularly newsworthy,” Cooney says, “but I urge people to recall that BIPOC protesters have been dealing with maskless cops all year.”
Additionally, in over 20 court motions submitted to the offices of King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg and City of Seattle Attorney Pete Holmes in July of 2020, Dismantle — a group of attorneys who represent protesters pro-bono — stated that “repeatedly, Seattle Police Department officers are observed flouting the law and existing above it.” The court motion reiterates that “SPD generally and its officers individually are aware of the coronavirus outbreak and community health implications of spreading the contagion.”
Nonetheless, despite SPD’s apparent understanding of mask policy, Dismantle also submitted multiple photographs exemplifying “SPD’s refusal, in violation of law, to wear the masks provided for them by taxpayers.”
SPD’s current mask policy states that officers “are required to wear a cloth face covering that covers their nose and mouth in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained. This includes…[a]ny indoor or outdoor space where members of the public or other officers are present”
However, the policy also provides situations where officers are not required to wear face masks. A face covering is not required under SPD policy when “wearing a face covering would be impractical or unsafe on a 911 response or on-view activity. Officers are required to wear the mask once the scene is rendered safe.”
It is unclear in what situations wearing a face covering would be impractical or unsafe, but the policy appears to leave a lot open to interpretation for officers on when they should be wearing face masks.
In an interview with KUOW in May of 2020, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said that “Police are not exempt [from wearing face masks]…We’re working with the troops to make sure that anytime that they can’t socially distance they do wear face coverings.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for law enforcement are near identical to recommendations for the general public.
“Honestly, one of the main emotions is confusion. Like, just why? Why not just wear one?” one street medic, who wished to remain anonymous said.
This trend is not limited to Seattle. Last year, a federal judge instructed Chicago’s main police union to ensure its member officers are wearing face masks and maintaining safe social distances while on the job. The Seattle Times reported that COVID-19 has killed more police officers last year nationwide than all other causes combined. As of January 11th, SPD reported that 46 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
In Portland, one hospital employee, who also asked to remain anonymous over concerns of retribution, said they have seen similar disregard for their hospital’s COVID protocol. “In general, most cops that come through our [Emergency Department] wear balaclavas [neck gaiters] and act with impunity towards staff in terms of how they request things.”
COVID-19 outbreaks in Washington jails, including King County Correctional Facility, also highlight the importance of officers wearing face coverings to protect against the virus.
In Washington state, law enforcement will be eligible for vaccination in Phase B2 of the state’s Department of Health (DOH) recently announced COVID-19 vaccination schedule, which is expected in the coming weeks. While it’s crucial to vaccinate those who have daily face-to-face interactions, some are frustrated those who seemingly disregard the dangers of COVID-19 will be some of the first to receive the vaccine.
This is just another chapter in a long list of controversies that have swirled around the Seattle Police Department.
Last year, the department terminated an officer for referring to a Black individual as “that Kunta Kinte [expletive]” to fellow officers. A month later, a federal judge found SPD and the City of Seattle in violation of a previous court order regarding the use of crowd-control munitions. Earlier this month, many organizations and city officials called for police union president Mike Solan to resign after he made comments on Twitter that blamed both left-wing and right-wing activists for the pro-Trump riots in the nation’s capital. The OPA has since launched investigations into several officers who were reportedly in Washington D.C. during the riots, adding that they anticipate “there may be more.”
For Cooney, she has her doubts on whether this latest incident will lead to any substantive change or accountability. “91% of OPA complaints go unsustained. The ones that are sustained are typically written or verbal warnings. Due to the OPA’s track record, I do not have confidence in their ability to hold this particular officer accountable because I do not have faith in them to hold any officers accountable.”
Regardless of the OPA’s ruling of this individual case, which will potentially take weeks to complete, it’s clear the department’s effort in enforcing their face mask policy has been proportionate with many officer’s minimal efforts in abiding by it.
This isn’t just a gotcha moment. These are chronic violations of SPD policy that largely go unchecked by department leadership, fellow officers, and the Seattle Office of Police Accountability.
At the time of writing, over 1,150 people have tragically died of COVID-19 in King County. Until we see widespread changes in how the Seattle Police Department approaches their face mask policy, the question will remain: How can we trust the police to keep the community safe, when they so often refuse to do so at the most basic level?
