Spokane Police Ombudsman receives 3 complaints about Sunday night’s events
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Office of the Police Ombudsman in Spokane said it has received three complaints regarding the Spokane Police Department’s response to events Sunday night.
The Police Ombudsman acts as the ‘civilian watchdog’ of the Police Department, fielding complaints from citizens and deciding whether to forward them to Internal Affairs for investigation. He then joins investigations and makes policy change recommendations to the Police Department.
4 News Now reached out to the Office of the Police Ombudsman, which says they cannot provide specifics on the complaints, but noted they received questions about Spokane Police policies and procedures after Sunday’s protest was hijacked by looters and agitators.
Spokane Police had knelt with protesters, shook hands, and the demonstration remained peaceful, until a rogue group of looters started smashing windows and stealing from stores.
Police officers shot tear gas and rubber bullets into crowds of people, rolling armored vehicles through downtown streets.
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