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Metropolitan King County Council Chair Larry Phillips and Councilmember Larry Gossett, Chair of the Council’s Employment and Administration Committee, have released this statement in response to today’s announcement that Charles Gaither has resigned as the Director of King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight:

“Mr. Gaither’s allegations regarding the County’s lack of support for the mission of Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) could not be further from the truth. The Council established and has consistently funded the office, and remains fully committed to its effective oversight of law enforcement.

“Serious issues of his management and personnel skills—issues not related to the mission of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight—played the central role in our discussions with Mr. Gaither to reach a mutual agreement on his resignation as Director of OLEO.
 

“When the Council established OLEO, we understood the importance of the agency and the vital role it would have in restoring and maintaining the trust the residents of King County have in the King County Sheriff’s Office.

“The Council has not and will not waver from its commitment in having an effective and transparent Office of Law Enforcement Oversight for the King County Sheriff’s Office.

“To honor this commitment and to ensure the continued effectiveness of OLEO, our next step will be the appointment of an interim director as quickly as possible.”