Pillar 1
Police Accountability
Spokane deserves a system where police are held accountable to the communities they serve. We’re advocating for increased transparency, stronger oversight, and policies that promote justice, fairness, and respect for all. Police accountability isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity for ensuring the safety of every Spokane resident.
Key Priorities
Transparency
Civilian Oversight
What It Means
Establishing independent civilian bodies with the authority to review complaints, monitor police conduct, and make policy recommendations.
Why It Matters
Community oversight provides an additional layer of accountability, increases public confidence in the complaint process, and ensures diverse community perspectives are represented in policing decisions.
Independent Investigation Structures
What It Means
Using agencies or entities outside the police department to investigate serious incidents, including officer-involved shootings and allegations of misconduct.
Why It Matters
Independent investigations help eliminate conflicts of interest and strengthen public confidence that investigations are fair, impartial, and thorough.
Accountability
Discipline
What It Means
Maintaining clear and consistent standards for addressing officer misconduct and enforcing consequences when those standards are violated.
Why It Matters
Accountability requires meaningful consequences. Consistent discipline helps uphold professional standards, protect public trust, and reinforce ethical conduct.
Decertification
What It Means
Revoking an officer's certification when serious misconduct demonstrates they are no longer fit to serve in law enforcement.
Why It Matters
Decertification prevents officers who engage in serious misconduct from simply moving to another department and continuing to serve without accountability.
Community Input in Policing
What It Means
Ensuring our community has a direct hand in defining safety goals, guiding local policy, and refining how law enforcement operates on our streets.
Why It Matters
Engaging the community ensures that policing strategies are shaped by those most impacted. This collaborative approach fosters trust and guarantees that local safety priorities are reflected in the department's operational standards.
Culture
Hiring Process
What It Means
Recruiting and selecting officers based on integrity, professionalism, communication skills, cultural competency and a commitment to public service.
Why It Matters
Cultivating a department culture centered on humanity, respect and community engagement requires selecting the right personnel. Rigorous standards for recruitment ensure that accountability is embedded within the force from the start.
Training
What It Means
Using agencies or entities outside the police department to investigate serious incidents, including officer-involved shootings and allegations of misconduct.
Why It Matters
Independent investigations help eliminate conflicts of interest and strengthen public confidence that investigations are fair, impartial, and thorough.
Investment in Officer Wellbeing
What It Means
Supporting officers' mental health, physical wellness, and access to resources that help them manage the stresses of the profession.
Why It Matters
Healthy officers are better prepared to make sound decisions, interact positively with the public, and perform their duties safely and professionally.
Demilitarization in Function and Appearance
What It Means
Limiting the use of military-style equipment and tactics to situations where they are truly necessary, while emphasizing a community-service approach to policing.
Why It Matters
A less militarized presence can reduce tensions, improve public perceptions of law enforcement, and reinforce the idea that police are partners in public safety rather than an occupying force.
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Prohibits uniformed officers from wearing face coverings
Addressing the use, access, and public release of body camera footage.
Regulating the use of Flock (automated license plate recognition) cameras and strengthening citizen privacy rights
Orgs Involved
Citizen Nine26
Citizen Nine26 is dedicated to helping people who have experienced injustices as a result of government misconduct.
ACLU of Washington
The ACLU is dedicated to protecting civil rights and civil liberties for all people in America, working through the courts, legislatures, and communities—fueled entirely by its members, supporters, and volunteers.
Washington Coalition for Police Accountability
The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability is a coalition of families, advocates, experts, and organizations working to reduce police violence and increase accountability through statewide policy.
Events, Workshops, and Trainings
No events available
Join the Movement
The Platform for Change is a community-driven movement for systemic change in Spokane. One that embraces a holistic approach to community safety and wellness. We believe Spokane deserves a just, compassionate, and effective safety and wellness network. So we’re building it together. Since 2020, organizations, people with lived experience, research-based knowledge, and systems expertise have come together to shape this vision.
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Are you an organization, business, or group aligned with our values? Let’s team up to build a safer, more just Spokane together.
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