Mayor, chief say Seattle police reform far along, Sessions-proof

U.S. District Judge James Robart is overseeing the federal consent decree under which the Seattle Police Department is undergoing reform. Here, Judge Robart reads his decision granting the states of Washington and Minnesota a temporary restraining order, blocking President Trump's executive order on immigration, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. less U.S. District Judge James Robart is overseeing the federal consent decree under which the Seattle Police Department is undergoing reform. Here, Judge Robart reads his decision granting the states of ... more Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Mayor, chief say Seattle police reform far along, Sessions-proof 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Police reform in Seattle is far along and won't be stopped or unilaterally changed by the Trump administration or U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said late Tuesday.

The city's five-year effort, under a federal consent decree, has improved policing and made the Seattle Police Department "a national leader in reform," said O'Toole.

Murray delivered a blunt message to Sessions: We're ignoring you and pressing ahead with reform.

The Trump administration has signaled that it is backing away from the consent decrees, used by the Justice Department under President Obama to address police misconduct in cities from Baltimore to Cleveland to Ferguson, Missouri.

Sessions said in a memo that all existing police accords will be reviewed by top political appointees in his department.

Murray shot back at Sessions without naming him. "Our progress under the consent decree cannot be undone by empty bureaucratic threats: Our police department is well into the process of reform and will continue this work," the mayor said in a statement.

The consent decree in Seattle was the work of city officials and the Obama-era Justice Department, its Civil Rights Division then headed by Tom Perez, and then-U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan.

"We are too far along for President Trump to pull us away from justice. In Seattle, the Department of Justice cannot change our consent decree unilaterally," Murray declared. "Instead, our consent decree is firmly in the hands of the Honorable Judge James Robart, who has shown his commitment to reform from the very beginning and whose guidance we have followed through the reform process."

Name sound familiar?

It was U.S. District Judge Robart who issued a national restraining order that halted President Trump's Muslim ban No. 1, which blocked entry into the United States by citizens of seven predominantly Islamic nations.

The order by Robart, described by Trump as a "so-called judge," was unanimously upheld by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Despite bloviating by the president, the Trump administration then canceled its executive order and came up with a new order. It, too, has been blocked by a federal judge.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes speculated Monday night that Sessions' top target may be a reform plan for the Baltimore Police Department, finalized in the last days of the Obama administration. The BPD has been shaken by scandal and the 2015 death in police custody of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.

In Seattle, Murray has pledged to complete the process of police oversight.

He has proposed creation of an independent inspector general's office at the SPD, along with expanded autonomy for the SPD's Office of Professional Accountability.

He has proposed to make permanent the Citizens Police Commission, established under Murray's predecessor, Mike McGinn. The commission has shown a mind of its own and the desire to be a player in reform.

"Over the past three years, we have implemented new trainings to greatly reduce use of force and enhanced accountability throughout our department," said Chief O'Toole. The SPD has achieved "real and measurable progress," she said..

Murray has appeared itching to take on the 45th president.

The city is suing the Trump administration over an executive order that threatens to pull federal funding if the city refuses to comply with new immigration policies.

Murray and City Council members are proposing a $1 million aid fund to provide legal counsel for those facing immigration courts. Murray has joined West Coast governors in the goal of reducing carbon emissions, denouncing Trump's rollback of President Obama's Clean Power Plan.

The Emerald City "will not step back" from its work in police reform, Murray said on Tuesday night.

"We have made tremendous progress and become a national leader on constitutional policing, while improving trust between our department and the community," the mayor added.

"Regardless of what announcements are made by the Department of Justice, we look forward to announcing more of that progress in the coming days."

The gulf between the two Washingtons just got a little wider.