Most of Seattle police DUI squad reassigned, under investigation Department hasn't released formal statement, details

All but one member of the Seattle police DUI squad have been reassigned and are being investigated by the department.

Beginning March 8, the DUI squad sergeant was investigated after Capt. Dick Belshay reviewed what the department called supervisory inconsistencies from the squad.

The investigation was broadened into the conduct of three other officers in the DUI squad, and they were administratively reassigned Wednesday.

The squad had four members and one sergeant. Only one member of the squad, Officer Eric Michl, has not been reassigned.

Department policy requires all arrests be screened in person with the sergeant. But Kimberly Mills, spokeswoman for City Attorney Pete Holmes, said the sergeant was not screening the arrests in person.

The practice went on for many months, and dozens of cases are affected, she said.

In response to the Seattle Police Department's internal review of its DUI squad, the Criminal Division of the City Attorney's Office will conduct an individual analysis to determine whether any of the DUI cases -- past and present -- may be impacted by the investigation findings.

Monday afternoon, Craig Sims, head of the City Attorney's Criminal Division, directed his attorneys to ask that all cases involving the officers under review be continued.

The attorneys were instructed not to agree to any pleas in cases that involve the three police officers implicated in the SPD review. Sims on Monday also provided notice of the issue to public defense attorneys.

"Once we determine the full scope of the issue we may look at past cases," Sims said in a statement.

The city attorney's office is waiting for the result of the internal police department investigation.

"The scope of the investigation at this point focuses on the administrative policy violation of screening all arrests with a supervisor in person, which department policy requires," according to a Seattle police statement. "This investigation is in its infancy. The scope may change as new information is developed."

Seattle police did not say specifically if the any of those reassigned could be investigated for false swearing; state law makes it a gross misdemeanor for a person to make a false statement under a lawful oath. False swearing cases are rare in Washington.

The primary function of the DUI squad is to detect, arrest, process and help in the prosecution of alcohol and other drug-impaired drivers, according to the department.

Two members of the DUI squad, including Michl, are certified drug recognition experts, meaning they can evaluate and arrest drivers impaired by drugs.

Annually, the DUI officers arrest and process more than 1,000 drivers, according to department statistics.

The investigation is another setback for the department, which is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice following a request from nearly three-dozen Seattle-area organizations. Relations also have been tense between the police union and Mayor Mike McGinn, who has said the Department of Justice "may force changes."

Click here to read more about the Seattle Police DUI Squad.

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