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The King County Council unanimously approved the collective bargaining agreement between the county and the King County Police Officer’s Guild.
The county says the agreement will deploy body-worn cameras, ensure cooperation with the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO), and increase salaries to ensure the Sheriff’s office can recruit and retain deputies.
The agreement includes a new policy regarding body-worn cameras. The KCSO plans to begin training and deployment of the cameras in the first quarter of 2023.
“The public has been clear in their call for more independent oversight of law enforcement. It is an issue of accountability, and we are delivering results,” said King County Councilmember Doug Upthegrove in a release.
However, in a letter sent to the council on Wednesday, King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) said it believes the body camera policy is insufficient.
“We worked with the [KCSO]. They asked for recommendations. They accepted many of our recommendations. It was a very collaborative process. At the end of the day there were a couple of things that were deal breakers for us that we said we can't support the policy fully because of those few issues,” said OLEO Director, Tamer Abouzeid.
Read the full story here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/king-county-sheriffs-office-body-worn-cameras/281-eea15e97-5143-4db6-9dd7-bbb02d4e5609