The city is instituting a new policy limiting the Seattle Police Department’s ability to use ruses in their work, citing recent instances where the public’s trust was undermined by officers knowingly using untrue statements.
According to the new policy, police will not be able to use a statement an officer knows is not true over any mass media or in any way that will “shock the conscience.” The policy also requires officers to get permission before using any ruses, along with other use guidelines.
The Office of Inspector General for Public Safety and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold pushed for the policy change after incidents in 2018 and 2020, when a ruse may have contributed to a suicide and a ruse incited chaos during the George Floyd Protests.
