Proposal would tighten ID policy for police officers

In what may be the first reform from last fall's World Trade Organization chaos, City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck proposes to tighten requirements that police officers wear visible identification at all times.

Protesters at the riot-torn WTO conference complained that they could not file excessive-force allegations against officers because their badges were not visible.

Steinbrueck's proposal, to be heard by the council's Public Safety Committee next Wednesday, would require officers to wear tags bearing their full names and badge numbers on their outermost piece of clothing.

Police policies already require on-duty uniformed officers to wear cloth name tags on their shirts, jackets and jumpsuits. But during the WTO conference, police officials said, newly bought rain gear did not have name tags and covered officer identifications. Steinbrueck's proposal would create a city law superseding the departmental policies.

The proposal is expected to pass the council by next month. Public Safety Committee Chairman Jim Compton called the idea "a no-brainer."

Police Officers Guild President Mike Edwards said he would have no comment until he had seen the proposal.

Officers who violated the proposed law would face unspecified discipline. Steinbrueck said he considered fining officers but didn't know if officers would enforce the law against one another. He said he may still raise the idea.

Still, Steinbrueck said that making the requirement a law instead of a departmental policy "makes it emphatic what's expected."

Steinbrueck said he foresaw no complaints from the guild. "I don't see what complaints they'd have," he said. "You and I have to be accountable. They should be, too. But how can they be accountable if you can't tell who they are?"

The proposal is one of a number of changes expected to result from the City Council's review of the WTO conference, marred by riots, tear gas and $9 million in costs for the city.

Council members have talked about setting up financial safeguards before allowing major events to come to Seattle. They have also discussed re-evaluating the city's use of tear gas in dealing with crowds.

P-I reporter Kery Murakami can be reached at 206-448-8029 or kerymurakami@seattle-pi.com