SPD Recruits Still Overwhelmingly Male, Blast Ball Approval Moves Forward, Stranger Investigates Its Own Reporters, and More

By Erica C. Barnett

Tuesday, January 14

New Police Recruits Remain Overwhelmingly Male, Despite “30 by 30” Pledge

The Seattle Police Department pledged four years to boost the number of female recruits to 30 percent by 2030. Although Mayor Bruce Harrell touted SPD’s latest hiring numbers, he failed to mention that just 14 percent of both applicants and recruits are women—a number that hasn’t budged meaningfully since the city made the pledge.

Bill Allowing Police to Use Less-Lethal Weapons, Including Blast Balls, Moves Forward

The city council is rapidly advancing legislation to adopt new policies authorizing police to use less-lethal weapons, like blast balls (rubber grenades that can cause serious injuries), for crowd control. Most of the amendments that would have placed restrictions on how and when blast balls can be used failed to advance, and the council rejected an amendment restoring a private right of action for people injured by these weapons.

Wednesday, January 15

Kevin Dave, Officer Who Struck and Killed 23-Year-Old Student in 2023, Appeals His Firing

A PubliCola exclusive: SPD officer Kevin Dave, who remained on the job at SPD for two years after striking and killing Jaahnavi Kandula in a crosswalk while driving almost three times the speed limit, is trying to get his job back. In a disciplinary report, interim police chief Sue Rahr wrote that “it is inconceivable to me” that Dave didn’t understand his duty to avoid endangering others when responding to a call.

Thursday, January 16

Seattle Nice Debate: Should The City Go All-In on Social Housing?

We hosted a debate between supporters of both “social housing” propositions. Arguing for Proposition 1A, which would use a marginal business tax on employee income above $1 million to create publicly owned mixed-income housing, was Tiffani McCoy, director of the House Our Neighbors campaign. Arguing for 1B, which would use existing revenues from the JumpStart tax to pay for low-income housing, was Jessie Clawson, a land-use attorney. It was a lively and informative debate about a complex issue and I encourage readers to have a listen before you vote.

Friday, January 17

Two Stranger Reporters Put on Leave for Investigation Into Potential Ethical Violations

Two reporters at the Stranger, Ashley Nerbovig and Hannah Krieg, were put on paid leave this week while the paper investigates allegations that they knew about an unethical encounter between a former Stranger editor and a candidate for City Council, failed to disclose it and lied about it to their editors, and attempted to enlist others in a cover story. The allegations, if found true, would constitute significant breaches of ethical standards for journalists.