State Sen. Jesse Salomon

State Sen. Jesse Salomon

Shoreline senator’s bill would close loophole on police disciplinary actions

Jesse Salomon says Kent Police assistant chief case example of why changes are needed

Legislation introduced early this session by Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, would restrict avenues used by police who have been disciplined by their superiors to overturn or reduce those disciplinary actions and gain reinstatement despite serious misconduct.

According to a Jan. 17 Washington state Senate Democrats news release, a glaring example of the existing gap in accountability has been playing out for more than a year in Kent, where the city has been unable to resolve the case of an assistant police chief accused of multiple acts of on-duty displays of pro-Nazi insignia.

Kent Assistant Police Chief Derek Kammerzell had initially been issued a two-week suspension—and allowed to draw paid vacation during that time—after posting Nazi rank insignia outside his office door, joking about the Holocaust, and engaging in other misconduct in September of 2020.

In response to subsequent public criticism, Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla and Kent Mayor Dana Ralph posted a video Jan. 7 in which they sought to explain the city’s handling of the case. Though Padilla said Kammerzell had been “untruthful” with investigators, which would constitute grounds for firing, Padilla indicated that he chose not to fire him because of the risk that the firing would be overturned in arbitration.

A recent editorial in the Seattle Times has called for Kammerzell’s resignation. Mayor Ralph has asked the Kent Police Officers Association for his resignation, but the union or Kammerzell has not issued a response.

Salomon, meanwhile, is proposing a remedy, according to the news release.

His Senate Bill 5677 would improve accountability in the Kammerzell case and in similar situations by mandating consistent practices for complaints, investigations, discipline, and disciplinary appeals for serious misconduct.

“Most cops provide valuable, stellar service,” Salomon said, “but there are some who do not and are able to evade proper and just discipline. As things stand, officers who are disciplined by their supervisors for dishonesty or excessive force can hire private lawyers to second-guess the discipline imposed and who have legal power to overturn that discipline through arbitration.”

Studies show discipline is reduced or overturned in about half of matters that go to arbitration, undercutting the ability of police chiefs and sheriffs to enforce standards of honesty and care in the exercise of force, Salomon said.

Among other things, SB 5677 would:

• Require jurisdictions to implement statewide standards for investigating complaints of serious misconduct by law enforcement officers.

• Define serious misconduct to include conduct resulting in suspension, demotion, transfer or termination.

• Place a civilian in charge of the investigating authority and require civilian staff to conduct or participate in complaint handling and investigations.

• Require investigation findings within 180 days of the filed complaint.

• Require jurisdictions to develop and implement discipline and appeals processes.

“The public deserves assurance that public servants are worthy of their trust,” Salomon said, “just as the countless upstanding police officers across our state deserve to be free of the clouds of suspicion created by bad actors.”


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
A change of cities to Auburn from Kent for Bridges neighborhood

Kent City Council approves move by Auburn to annex area and remove municipal island

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Comcast service outage covered 25 square miles in Kent

Company doesn’t release customer numbers impacted by outage

Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent Police
Kent Police seek tips, clues to find Comcast cable line vandals

Police chief says ‘We take these cases seriously’

t
Thousands in Kent lose Comcast service after vandals damage cable lines

Connection went down early Thursday morning, Nov. 30; service could be out until 8 to 10 p.m.

t
Northwood Middle School mourns death of 13-year-old Chloe Comeau

‘She was the most loving, courageous and positive person,’ mother says after daughter battled brain tumor

The area within the dotted line is a Kent neighborhood known as The Bridges, completely surrounded by Auburn. (COURTESY IMAGE)
Auburn council slated to vote on Bridges annexation

This would set the clock ticking down to 12:01 a.m., Jan. 1, 2024, when the annexation of the neighborhood from Kent to Auburn becomes official.

t
Recruit firefighters in Kent learn ladder raising, auto extrication and more | Photos

All part of a 21-week course to join Puget Sound Fire and other local departments

Echo Glen Children’s Center (Screenshot from Washington State Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families)
Three teens caught after escaping from Echo Glen Children’s Center

At least ten inmates have escaped from the juvenile correctional facility this year.

Courtesy photo, City of Kent
Kent City Council approves mayor’s budget adjustment for 2024

Dash cameras for police one of only new items in mainly status-quo budget

t
Kent Schools Foundation awards $50,000 in grants to school district

Thirty-six schools will receive support for educational initiatives and resources

t
Two Kent men plead not guilty to Federal Way murder

Enter pleas Nov. 27 in King County Superior Court in Kent

t
Kent bicyclist killed in collision with vehicle identified

Jason Allen Coffin, 48, died in Nov. 22 crash along Central Avenue South