Seattle City Councilmember Tammy J. Morales is calling for tomorrow’s vote on the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild (SPOG) contract to be postponed until the community has a chance to make their concerns heard.

The Council is scheduled to vote on the tentative agreement tomorrow despite the fact that there has not been a single public hearing.

“This contract with SPOG is an incredibly important vote about the future of police accountability and civilian public safety alternatives in Seattle. The community deserves a chance to make their voice heard before we vote on it. We shouldn’t be rushing this,” said Councilmember Morales.

The tentative agreement with SPOG does not just affect wages and benefits, it also affects how the City of Seattle can hold its officers accountable when they commit misconduct. The tentative agreement fails to implement the 2017 accountability reforms approved by the City in a number of concerning ways.

Additionally, this comes at a time when we have not had resolution on several high-profile cases of police misconduct.

“We need a transparent process. All information regarding long-awaited police accountability decisions should be made public ahead of the vote,” said Councilmember Morales.