Bad Apple Baseball Cards: Stephen Englund
With an incredible 28 OPA investigations in just five years, Englund is one cop who just can't seem to stay out of trouble.
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South Precinct Officer Stephen Englund is one of the most complained-about officers at the Seattle Police Department. Englund has racked up 28 Office of Police Accountability investigations in his relatively brief career. Consistently ranked among the top 1 percent of SPD policy violators, Englund has averaged six investigations annually since 2020, his first year out of training.
Englund has been suspended for 16 days without pay. He has run the gamut of misconduct, from insubordination, slashing tires, and mocking protestors to pursuit violations and excessive force.
Let’s review some of his most serious misconduct.
2020 Pushed and Cursed at a Bystander
A crowd of bystanders formed around an arrest Englund was participating in.
Englund yelled at a woman standing outside the taped-off area, telling her to move and threatening to arrest her, saying, “We’re not fucking around.”
Three seconds after the confrontation started, Englund walked up to the woman and pushed her back with both hands.
When she asked for his badge number, Englund told her, “Use your eyes” and tapped his badge.
Englund was given a training referral for this incident.
2021 Violently Shoved a Compliant Woman
Englund was responding to a report of a stolen vehicle when a woman from a nearby homeless encampment walked up to see what was happening.
The woman folded the small pocket knife she was carrying and approached the officers to ask a question.
Englund screamed at her to drop the knife three times after she had turned her back to leave.
The woman complied and put the knife down.
Englund approached the woman, grabbed her, and pushed her backwards, forcing her to fall to the ground.
Englund did not report this use of force until he was instructed to do so by his supervisors.
Englund was suspended for one day.
2022 Tackled a Surrendering Man
Englund and another officer cornered a man with a warrant for his arrest
The man surrendered and raised his hands into the air after the officers drew their Tasers on him.
Englund ran to him and used a “double leg takedown” to force him to the ground.
OPA characterized this action as “miscalculated rather than misconduct,” and recommended a training referral
2023 Slashed a Truck’s Tires
Englund and another officer responded to a passed-out driver in an F-150 on the road.
After pinning the F-150 in with his cruiser, Englund immediately rushed out and slashed all four tires.
A sergeant on scene praised Englund after he told him he had used a “little knifey knife” to deflate the tires.
OPA recommended a one-day suspension for the out-of-policy tactic, but Chief Adrian Diaz only gave Englund a written warning.
2024 Insubordination and Reckless Car Chase
Englund and his partner were tracking a stolen vehicle that led them to Des Moines
The vehicle was equipped with OnStar, which could be used to shut the vehicle down remotely
Englund’s to let Des Moines PD take the lead and not to pursue or use force.
England was there solely to provide OnStar with the shutdown order when he saw the suspect.
Despite his orders, Englund made a plan to “fucking light them up, head on, and… go guns out on them”
Englund’s partner jumped out of their cruiser when they saw the stolen car and drew his gun
The car took off with Englund pursuing it through Marina Park, where wedding photos were being taken
Englund destroyed a park bench and hit the car hard enough to push it into a creek with a juvenile woman still inside after the suspect had fled on foot.
Englund unlawfully did not read the juvenile her Miranda rights or juvenile rights when he began questioning her
Englund was suspended for 15 days for multiple policy violations
2024 Unlawful Detainment of a Black Youth
Englund was called about a stolen car left abandoned at a shopping center
After checking the security camera, he drove around the neighborhood and stopped the first Black man he saw walking on the street.
Englund later acknowledged to his sergeant that none of the clothing seen on camera matched the description except for the hoodie.
He claimed that the man ran when he spotted him, but in the video, he can only be seen walking casually.
Englund initiated a custodial detention, placed the man in cuffs and interrogated him for several minutes, trying to get him to admit to stealing the car.
He even lied, saying that it would be just a cite and release if the man gave him the keys.
After he ran the man’s name for active warrants and found none, Englund released him.
OPA sustained allegations that Englund violated the department’s Terry stop policy, but it hasn’t released the final report yet.
2025 Split Open a Fleeing Man’s Head
Englund responded to a potential shoplifter at a hardware store
Englund determined that the suspect had provided false information and went to arrest him
The man sprinted out of the store with Englund running behind him
Englund shoved the man from behind with both hands into a shopping cart, splitting the suspect’s head open.
The man was taken to the hospital and needed nine stitches for the injury.
SPD’s force review unit deemed the use of force disproportional to the danger the man posed.
A use-of-force expert interviewed by OPA told them explicitly that shoving fleeing suspects in the back was not part of SPD’s training
OPA accepted Englund’s explanation that there was no better way to stop the man and recommended that SPD leadership create training materials on how to end foot pursuits.
What a garbage human being who will clearly continue to do more of the same.