30 Days Suspension for "Mexican Piss" SPD Detective

Before the death of John Williams at the hands of Officer Ian Birk, the shame of the Seattle Police Department was Detective Shandy Cobane, who grabbed national headlines when a tape of him threatening to "beat the Mexican piss" out of a suspect was released to the media. Today, Chief of Police John Diaz announced that Detective Cobane's punishment for the incident will be a 30-day suspension. The announcement comes as a surprise, as some sources had reported that Chief Diaz was inclined to fire Cobane, as well as other officers involved with the incident. City Attorney Pete Holmes and King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg have already declined to press charges against Cobane or anyone else involved in the incident.

While Detective Cobane may have come off lightly. The entire force, and the city, may pay the consequences for his actions; the Justice Department's Civil Rights division has begun an investigation into the SPD.