Summary

Proposal would establish benchmarks for implementation of recent performance audit recommendations

Story

Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Bob Ferguson and Julia Patterson introduced legislation today that lays out an action plan to address a recent performance audit of the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Internal Investigations Unit and the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO). The legislation calls for the Sheriff to demonstrate and document actions being taken to address the significant shortcomings with KCSO’s internal investigation operations that were identified in the audit.

“This legislation is all about transparency and accountability,” said Ferguson, Chair of the Council’s Government Accountability, Oversight and Financial Performance Committee. “Establishing a plan with deadlines and deliverables makes it clear that we expect to see progress and reforms in how citizen complaints and misconduct cases are handled.”

“Even though Sheriff Strachan has committed to resolving the issues outlined in July’s audit, the legislative branch has an obligation to ensure that the commitments are carried out in a timely and transparent manner,” Patterson said. “The legislation introduced today will do just that.”

On July 24, the King County Auditor presented an audit report to the Council that highlighted deficiencies in KCSO’s internal investigations operations and accountability system. The audit made 16 recommendations for improving the effectiveness of investigations and law enforcement oversight. The audit and recommendations are structured to address:

• enhancing the effectiveness of management and supervision;
• expanding and enforcing complaint policies and procedures;
• using accountability tools more effectively; and
• continuing efforts to implement independent, civilian law enforcement oversight.

The Sheriff’s Office concurred with the audit recommendations and Sheriff Steve Strachan presented a plan for addressing each of the recommendations made in the audit about the Sheriff’s Office.

The legislation introduced today by Councilmembers Ferguson and Patterson builds on the Sheriff’s plan and adopts a performance audit action plan to track the Sheriff’s Office’s implementation of the audit recommendations. The action plan calls for the Sheriff and the Director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight to provide specific deliverables related to implementation of the audit recommendations.

“The oversight audit findings and recommendations provide a timely opportunity to implement best practices and increase accountability,” Patterson said. “Although the vast majority of our law enforcement officers conduct their duties responsibly, certain safeguards must be in place to maintain safety and community trust.”

Ferguson and Patterson championed legislative reforms in 2006 to create independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office. Their reforms led to the creation of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight, an independent agency responsible for monitoring investigations of misconduct, helping to resolve cases, increasing public trust and transparency, and identifying systemic issues and reforms within the Sheriff’s Office.

In 2009, Ferguson and Patterson sponsored legislation related to law enforcement oversight that included an annual audit of OLEO and the Sheriff’s Office’s internal investigation operations and procedures. The audit report presented on July 24 was the first report of a permanent ongoing law enforcement audit process.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system at https://mkcclegisearch.kingcounty.gov and type in “2012-0366”

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King County Council Web site at:
www.kingcounty.gov/council

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