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Apr
18

History of OLEO

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History of OLEO

Per the recommendation of King County Sheriff’s Blue Ribbon Panel, the Metropolitan King County Council created the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) to ensure the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the Sheriff’s Office in misconduct investigations and to foster greater community trust in the Sheriff's Office. Bob Ferguson, Larry Phillips and Larry Gossett were prime sponsors of this historic legislation, an important first step towards independent and empowered systems of law enforcement oversight in King County.

The following is a living timeline summarizing the OLEO’s history:

September 2006 King County Sheriff’s Blue Ribbon Panel recommended creation of an independent oversight office.
October 2006 OLEO established via King County Ordinance 15611.
May 2009 OLEO authority established via King County Ordinance 16511 to monitor internal investigations, conduct systemic reviews and audits and engage in community outreach.
October 2011 OLEO operations began.
November 2015 Charter amendment to Article 2, Section 265 approved by voters establishing OLEO as a charter-based agency and expanding its scope & authority to directly investigate misconduct, complementing its existing authorities.
April 2017 King County Ordinance 2017-0139 adopted, expanding OLEO’s authorities to align the will of the voters defined in 2015 charter amendment. These powers are still subject to collective bargaining. 
April 2017 Collective bargaining discussion begins.          
February 2020 King County Executive signs new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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