Rebecca J. Roe's Citizen Observer Report for 2008 and 2009 [Available as aPDF]

Suzanne Adams' Citizen Observer Report for 2008 and 2009 [text below]

Incident #09-016462

FRB Citizen Observer, Suzanne Adams

Report FRB#09-02

01/30/2009

In reviewing this incident the suspect was tased twice in an attempt to stop him from advancing toward officers with a knife. The suspect tore the taser darts from himself and, ignoring the shouts from officers to drop the knife, he kept advancing. Officers Beatty, Stolt and Stevens fired their SPD issued weapons at the suspect. They were justified in their use of deadly force, most likely saving the life of a fellow officer who was within a few feet of the advancing suspect.

FRB #09-01

Citizen Observer, Suzanne Adams

Report

01/15/2009

Officers responded to a shots fired call. This incident is a classic incident of team policing, with officers responding to the scene and immediately taking their places surrounding and covering the area from which shots were reported. The suspect came out of the door, carrying a rifle with a bayonet attached, and was surprised at the presence of the officers. He was ordered to drop the rifle, instead, he brought the rifle up to a fire position, pointing it directly at Officer Waldorf and also within a few feet of him. Officers Elias and Waldorf fired their SPD issued weapons, stopping the suspect. This incident is justified in my mind, and is a tribute to the training the officers received.

FRB#09-03

Citizen Observer, Suzanne Adams

Report

3/31/2009

Officer Smith, off duty, accompanied by several fellow off duty officers was surrounded in a biker bar in Sturgis, South Dakota. Officer Smith was attempting to leave the location and was grabbed and hit by two men, who turned out to be Hells Angels members. While being choked , Officer Smith recovered his weapon and fired it at the nearest man assaulting him. This shooting was justified in my mind. One question was raised, and resolved at the FRB, and that was the presence of signs in the bar stating that no guns were allowed in the bar, that were observed in many of the crime scene photos. It turns out that the signs were not posted at the time of the incident, and that they were put up as an after-thought by the establishment and before the crime scene processed the scene. Officer Smith broke no rules in my opinion and the shooting is justified.

FRB #08-01

Citizen Observer, Suzanne Adams

Report

07/17/2008

Two Detectives, on duty in an unmarked vehicle equipped with emergency lights, began following a suspect vehicle that was running from the scene of a bank robbery. They observed the car turn into a long driveway and go out of site to a dead end at the shore of Lake Washington. The Detectives reacted properly, positioning themselves at the only place where the suspect could exit, and the suspect drove his vehicle directly at them. The detectives fired their SPD issued weapons at the suspect, the suspect intentionally drove his vehicle into the detective's vehicle. The detectives then arrested the suspect, who was not seriously injured. I believe that the shooting was justified. There is a policy (6.240) that addresses shooting at a moving vehicle, which is justified in a case such as this when the moving vehicle poses an imminent threat to the officer, and I believe that the detectives did not violate this policy.