Disciplinary Appeals
What is an Appeal?
If a Seattle Police Department (SPD) officer is disciplined by the Chief of Police after an OPA investigation, they have the right to an appeal, which means they can challenge the decision. The rules for how appeals work are based on union contracts (called collective bargaining agreements or CBAs) and the City of Seattle’s personnel policies.
Officers who are a part of a union can appeal disciplinary actions such as written reprimands in their files, being suspended, demoted, or fired.
The current CBA outlines two ways to appeal:
- Through the Public Safety Civil Service Commission (PSCSC)
- Through arbitration, where a neutral third party reviews the case and makes a decision.
However, officers can’t use both options, they must pick one.
There is still a disagreement between the City and the police union about whether oral reprimands (the lowest level of formal discipline) can be appealed. This issue hasn’t been resolved yet. For now, those appeals are still shown in the records for transparency.
Discipline takes effect as soon as it is given. The Seattle Police Department does not wait for the appeal process to finish before enforcing it.
How Can an SPD Officer Appeal Discipline?
There are two main ways an SPD officer can appeal a disciplinary decision:
1. Public Safety Civil Service Commission (PSCSC)
A group of three people listens to the appeal. The hearing is open to the public.
One member is chosen by the Mayor, one by the City Council, and the third is elected by City Civil Service employees.
After the hearing, the Commission has 90 days to make a decision. Their decision includes the facts of the case, legal conclusions, and what action must be taken.
2. Arbitration
A neutral person (called an arbitrator) hears the case. This hearing is private and not open to the public.
The arbitrator is chosen from a permanent list of approved arbitrators (see Article 14.2 of the SPOG contract for more details).
The arbitrator can:
- Agree with the Chief’s decision and keep the discipline as is,
- Completely overturn the decision, or
- Change the discipline based on the officer’s labor contract.
What Happens After an Appeal?
There are three main ways an appeal can end:
- Affirmed – The Chief’s decision stays the same. Both the findings and the discipline are upheld.
- Modified – The discipline is changed in some way but not completely removed.
- Overturned – The entire decision, including the findings and the discipline, are thrown out.
Settling or Withdrawing an Appeal
Sometimes, the officer and the City agree to settle the appeal. This means they come to an agreement, which usually happens by changing the discipline or deciding on other terms. Once they settle, the officer officially withdraws the appeal.
In other cases, although less common, an appeal might be:
- Withdrawn by the officer or the union, or
- Dismissed by the group handling the appeal (like the PSCSC or an arbitrator).
View Closed Case Summaries for appealed cases on the Closed Case Summaries page.
Public Data and More Information About Appeals
You can download the full table of appeal data from a public dataset here.
| OPA Case # | Date of Discipline | Disciplinary Decision | Date of Appeal | Appeal Type | Appeal Status | Appeal Outcome | Date Appeal Closed |
|---|
Want to Learn More About Appeals?
Visit the OPA Guiding Documents page to find:
- Seattle’s police accountability ordinance
- SPD’s union contracts (collective bargaining agreements)
- And more!