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Policy recommendations
Information about the policy recommendations OLEO has made to the King County Sheriff's Office.
Pursuant to OLEO’s authority under K.C.C. 2.75.040(D), OLEO reviews and makes timely recommendations to the King County Sheriff regarding changes to the Sheriff’s Office’s office policies, rules, procedures or general orders. The Sheriff’s Office is required to consult with OLEO before implementing changes to all general orders, as well as policies and procedures relating to administrative investigations and reviews, unless prior implementation is deemed necessary to address urgent circumstances. Below is a list of recommendations OLEO has provided to the Sheriff’s Office on new policies or policy revisions.
View the most recent version of King County Sheriff’s Office General Orders Manual (GOM)
| Policy number (GOM) | Policy subject, Memo & Translations | Policy issues/recommendation highlights | Date KCSO notified | KCSO response to OLEO recommendations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.12.000 |
Executing Search Warrants/Planned Events |
Summarizes the status of recommendations sent to the Sheriff's Office in June 2023 aimed at increasing transparency and accountability surrounding planned operations, promoting best practices in service of community and officer safety, and clarifying policy language. | September 25, 2024 | Partially adopted |
| Not applicable |
Critical Incident Notification |
This is a special report exploring trauma-informed notifications after a critical incident, which includes engagement with next of kin and public communication. | July 17, 2024 | Pending |
6.01.000, 6.03.000 |
Use of Force, Investigation/Reporting Use of Force and Serious Incidents, and Less Lethal Weapons |
Reissuing outstanding recommendations from OLEO’s preliminary review of the draft use of force policy and issuing new recommendations based on the latest revisions from the Sheriff’s Office. |
January 12, 2024 | Pending |
| 16.04.000 |
Use of interpreters |
Addresses when and how interpreters should be used for both hearing-impaired and limited-English proficiency individuals. It also provides recommendations on protocols for reporting language barriers and use of force. | March 20, 2023 | Pending |
| 6.00.000 | Use of force | Adopt the Washington State Attorney General's Model Policy and make use of force on fleeing persons more restrictive. | February 22, 2023 | Pending |
| 17.19.000 | Photo montage | The presenter of a photo montage shall require the witness to clearly and specifically state who they are identifying should the witness choose a photograph in the montage. The instructions shall be available in multiple language. |
November 12, 2022 | Partially adopted |
| 6.00.000 |
Use of force |
Adopt the Washington State Attorney General's Model Policy and make use of force on fleeing persons more restrictive. | November 7, 2022 | Partially adopted |
| Not applicable |
Body-worn camera video release |
Release body-worn camera video 72 hours after a critical incident. | October 26, 2022 | Not adopted |
| 3.03.000 | Investigation of personnel misconduct | Create a new classification system for misconduct complaints against deputies. The new policy is intended to create a process for expediting some complaints, providing community resources to complainants, and increasing the efficiency of the overall complaint and investigative process. | June 10, 2022 | Pending |
| 14.01.000 |
Body-worn cameras |
Remove discretionary recording, limit review of recordings before interviews, retain all videos according to retention policy regardless if accidental, create separate release policy. |
March 4, 2022 | Partially adopted |
| 5.01.025 | Recording interrogations | Revise policy language defining "imminent threat" from "immediate danger" to instead say "specific immediate danger" to clarify that a generalized threat/danger is not sufficient to satisfy an exception to advisement of "Miranda" rights. Recommend that deputies shall not have a pre-interrogation conversation without turning on the recorder. | December 22, 2021 | Not adopted |
| 14.00.015 |
IAPro |
OLEO access to IAPro (the platform used to track Sheriff's Office internal investigations and Use of Force incidents) cannot be limited by the GOM. Create clear guidelines for personnel use to prevent accidental violations and promote public transparency. Do not indicate discipline implications in policy to remain consistent with the GOM. |
October 21, 2021 | Pending |
| 9.01.025 | Eluding, no pursuit | Require documentation of cases of eluding without law enforcement pursuit. This documentation allows audit of compliance with recent Washington State vehicle pursuit laws. |
September 7, 2021 | Adopted |
| 3.03.000 | Investigation of personnel misconduct | Create a new classification system for misconduct complaints against deputies. The new policy is intended to create a process for expediting some complaints, providing community resources to complainants, and increasing the efficiency of the overall complaint and investigative process. | Multiple notifications in 2021 | Pending |
| 14.01.000 | Body-worn cameras | Lift the prohibition on random review of body-worn camera recordings, and remove the provisions allowing for discretionary recording and expedited deletion of accidental recordings. |
August 12, 2021 | Partially adopted |
| 6.00.000 | Use of force | Communicate requirements and prohibitions surrounding use of force without leaving policy up for interpretation. Situational nuances should be captured in training. | July 15, 2021 | Partially adopted |
| Not applicable | Internal Investigations Unit standard operating procedures | Include what information should be documented in a follow-up incident report. Clarify the mediation process. Clarify who can be present for Internal Investigation Unit interviews. |
May 13, 2021 | Partially adopted |
| Not applicable | Administrative Review Team standard operating procedures | Conduct an initial in-person interview (at minimum audio recorded) as soon as possible after a critical incident. |
March 26, 2021 | Partially adopted |
| Not applicable | Manual format | Member responsibilities should be incorporated directly into the procedures laid out in the GOM, and that the GOM should maintain a consistent numbering system and policy structure for each section. |
February 11, 2021 | Pending |
| 6.02.000 |
Administrative review of critical incidents |
Conduct formal administrative interviews for all involved personnel. Make union representative and department legal advisor non-voting members in CIRB. Implement a list of questions for the CIRB to answer. |
December 4, 2020 | Pending |
| 4.00.000 |
Uniforms and identification |
Require commissioned officers to carry an authorized badge and identification card, clarify planned and/or foreseen events, and require arrest teams to be clearly and immediately identifiable. |
December 1, 2020 | Pending |
| 7.00.000 |
Appearance, duty belt, and uniforms |
The policy should explicitly state permitted exemptions that may likely occur within historically marginalized groups and that gendered appearance requirements be removed from the policy to ensure inclusion of transgender and non-binary officers. |
November 23, 2020 | Pending |
| 6.00.000, 6.01.000 |
Use of force |
Revise the use of force policy to classify lateral vascular neck restraints as deadly force and clarify investigative and administrative review mechanisms. |
October 26, 2020 | Adopted |
| 3.03.300 |
Mediation program |
Allow mediation to be used for more employee to employee complaints. Among OLEO's recommendations are that mediation shall not be used when an employee makes a complaint involving bias by a supervisor or when a complaint involves dishonesty. |
September 28, 2020 | Pending |
| 3.00.015(1)(g) |
Discrimination |
KCSO's policy on discrimination should include off duty incidents. |
September 16, 2020 | Pending |
| 3.00.030(1) |
Bias based policing |
New language for this policy to clarify the actions that are covered under bias-based policing. |
September 16, 2020 | Pending |
| 9.01.000 |
Pursuit of motor vehicles |
Revise the risk hazard analysis, clarify uniform requirements, state that a PIT maneuver executed over 35 miles per hour may be considered deadly force, and to change "immediate" to "imminent" throughout the policy. |
September 15, 2020 | Partially adopted |
| 6.03.030 |
Using the taser CEW |
Deputies shall not use a taser on persons that are fleeing unless reasonable suspicion or probable cause exists. |
August 3, 2020 | Pending |
| 6.01.000, 6.02.000, Supervisor checklist |
Use of force investigation and reporting |
For serious force/critical incidents, the first statement obtained from substantially involved members must be through an in-person recorded interview, not a written statement. Consider organizing the policy by different categories of force. | October 16, 2019 | Partially adopted |
| 6.04.000 |
Less lethal weapons |
Deputies shall provide clear directions and warning and if not safe or feasible to do so articulate why and that aid shall be called whenever a subject is pepper sprayed. |
September 19, 2019 | Partially adopted |
| 6.00.000 |
Use of force |
Adopt a de-escalation definition that is more descriptive and includes the purpose for using de-escalation techniques, and to assert that subjects of force shall be evaluated by aid, as soon as possible, when there is an obvious, suspected, or alleged injury. |
September 13, 2019 | Partially adopted |
| 4.03.025 |
Off-duty exception probation lateral/phase 4 deputies |
Include a cap on the number of off-duty hours a lateral or phase 4 deputy can work while on probation. |
October 29, 2018 | Not adopted |
| 3.03 |
Mediation program |
If an employee participates in mediation in good faith, IAPro reflect a disposition of "dismissed" to make it consistent with the CBA. We also recommended that the GOM be updated accordingly. |
February 15, 2018 | Not adopted |
| 6.04.055 |
Less lethal shotgun |
Restrict the use of the less lethal shotgun to, "physically resistive... subjects who pose an imminent threat", prohibit the use of the shotgun against an individual in a crowd under certain circumstances, officers should aim for specific areas unless deadly force is justified. |
January 18, 2018 | Partially adopted |
| 6.00.015 |
Use of force and medical treatment |
Encourage officers to provide aid to persons injured during a use of force incident. |
November 3, 2017 | Partially adopted |
| 5.05.020 | Assisting federal immigration (ICE) officials | ICE shall not be granted access to individuals in KCSO custody solely for immigration enforcement. |
July 21, 2017 | Partially adopted |
| 5.00.055(4),(5) |
Searches of opposite sex |
The deputy shall verbally explain the steps of a search or frisk to the suspect, a frisk shall be in the presence of another witness whenever possible. |
July 6, 2017 | Adopted |
| 5.01.015 |
Spit hood |
If a person begins to vomit or bleed from their mouth, nose or head while wearing a spit hood, the spit hood shall be promptly removed and discarded. |
June 21, 2017 | Not adopted |
| 5.08.025(6) |
Persons in behavioral crisis |
Encourage deputies to make a referral to mental health services in certain circumstances. |
June 21, 2017 | Not adopted |
| 17.20.000 |
Investigations of sexual assault by patrol |
Include sexual assault data and language to build rapport with victims. |
June 20, 2017 | Partially adopted |