Burgess Nominates Potential New Police Review Board Members

Normally, board appointments aren't exactly a topic of public frenzy. But after Seattle's recent rash of police brutality peaking at the death of John T. Williams by an officer, followed by a period of extreme unrest between the Seattle Police Department and the citizenry about oversight, board appointments to the Office of Professional Accountability's police review board become key.

City Council member Tim Burgess, who chairs the Public Safety and Education Committee, originally announced the openings in July, seeking candidates that he said would make the police accountability process "more transparent and accessible.” Now, after sifting through over 60 applicants (because nothing gets the public's attention like our law-keepers kicking, shooting and racial-slurring), Burgess has chosen his three favorites. These candidates, theoretically, should be proven leaders, be able to gain respect from both police and citizens (i.e. they should either be really patient or be wizards at this point), have experience with diversity especially as it relates to how communities relate to police, and "work effectively under pressure in sometimes stressful and controversial situations." All that for a $400 monthly stipend.

The nominees: Claudia D’Allegri, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Sea Mar Community Health Centers; Elizabeth Holohan, Community Police Academy graduate and East Precinct Advisory Council volunteer (plus an intellectual property lawyer); and Dale Tiffany (like the lamps, but not of the lamps), a consultant whose history includes Seattle Indian Center, the Southeast Seattle Community Organization, the Seattle chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA and Filipino Youth Activities, Inc. If you care wonk out on the full bios, Publicola posted them in full.

All have experience working with racial minority communities, which are front-and-center with the current tension between police and citizenry; after all, events still in recent memory include an undercover cop kicking a suspect saying he'd beat the "Mexican piss" out of him and a cop shooting and killing a Native American woodcarver. I'd say "let's see how the candidates hold up to public scrutiny," but who follows boards? Will police accountability bring these kinds of citizen positions to the forefront, or despite its current relevance, just kind of fade into the background?

The Committee, normally comprised of seven members, will vote on the nominees September 21.