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Policy and practices
Our policy work entails reviewing potential policy changes by the Sheriff's Office, as well as proposing our own changes based on extensive research and analysis. We also work on local and state laws.
About OLEO’s policy work
Pursuant to OLEO’s authority under K.C.C. 2.75.040(D), OLEO reviews and makes timely recommendations to the King County Sheriff regarding changes to the Sheriff’s Office’s office policies, rules, procedures or general orders.
The Sheriff’s Office is required to consult with OLEO before implementing changes to all general orders, as well as policies and procedures relating to administrative investigations and reviews, unless prior implementation is deemed necessary to address urgent circumstances. Our policy recommendations aim to prioritize equity and reflect community interests, legal standards, and law enforcement best practices.
Recent work
Recently, our Office shared a memo issuing a series of recommendations to the King County Sheriff’s Office regarding updates to its use of force policies. The memo highlights both reissued and new recommendations based on OLEO's continuous review of the Sheriff's Office policies.
The reissued recommendations include adopting the Attorney General’s model policy language on physical force to more accurately communicate the standards of necessity, reasonableness, and proportionality, and limiting discretionary uses of force in otherwise non-violent situations.
New recommendations include clarifying definitions and bringing them in line with the AG’s model policies.
Policy review process
Background
We have designed a process to review and develop policy recommendations in direct collaboration and consultation with community. This framework is a living document, and we invite residents of King County to connect with us if you’d like to get involved or share your feedback.
To develop the new community guidance framework, we have engaged with more than a dozen community-based organizations across the county between March and July of 2023. Our outreach prioritized engaging with communities disproportionately impacted by law enforcement practices, with a focus on Black, Brown, disabled, and immigrant communities. Community engagement is central to OLEO’s work, and we would love to hear from you if you have ideas or want to get involved.
How the framework is used
OLEO will partner with community-based organizations to implement and use our community guidance process. View or download the guide. This is a process open to all, and we are especially interested in organizations that further the interests of populations that have been historically marginalized or overpoliced. Interested? Please fill out this simple form and we will be in touch.