Feds, Seattle to announce police reform agreement

Feds, Seattle to announce police reform agreement

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal officials will announce an agreement with Seattle regarding police reforms following a report that found officers routinely used excessive force.

No specific details were immediately released. City and federal negotiators had been involved in tense talks over the scope of a deal for months.

A news conference was scheduled later Friday with Mayor Mike McGinn, Thomas Perez, the Justice Department’s chief civil rights enforcer, and Seattle Police Chief John Diaz.

The Justice Department launched its civil rights investigation early last year, following the fatal shooting of a homeless, Native American woodcarver and other incidents of force used against minority suspects.

In December, a DOJ report found officers are too quick to reach for weapons, such as batons and flashlights, even when arresting people for minor offenses.