About the Office of Inspector General
The City of Seattle Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established to "help ensure the fairness and integrity of the police system as a whole in its delivery of law enforcement services by providing civilian auditing of the management, practices, and policies of the [Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Office of Police Accountability (OPA)] and oversee ongoing fidelity to organizational reforms implemented pursuant to the goals of the 2012 federal Consent Decree in United States of America v. City of Seattle, 12 Civ. 1282(JLR)." (Ord. 125315, 3.29.010.B)
The first Inspector General, Lisa A. Judge, took office in May 2018.
Vision
The Office of Inspector General supports constitutional, informed, compassionate policing through objective, independent, systemic oversight.
The credibility of OIG in conducting effective oversight requires:
- a fundamental commitment to objectivity and accuracy;
- empathy for community concerns and perspectives on policing; and
- an understanding of law enforcement principles, laws, and tactics for safe and effective policing.
Systemic Oversight
In providing systemic oversight, OIG work falls into three main categories:
- Auditing - Auditing and systemic review of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Office of Police Accountability (OPA)
- OPA Oversight - Reviewing OPA complaint handling and conducting investigations of allegations against OPA staff
- Policy Work - Working with SPD and partners to improve policies and practices in support of best practices
The Inspector General has unfettered access to SPD operations in order to perform her duties, including being on-scene at investigation of serious uses of force by SPD and at administrative reviews of those incidents. The OIG focus on systems distinguishes OIG from OPA, which primarily handles complaints against individual officers.