DivestSPD 2022 Year in Review

Seattle cops had a busy year, and so did we. Our local police department supplied tons of muck for us to rake, so we never lacked material. Incompetence, excess force, domestic violence, fraud—SPD really outdid itself in 2022.

Here are some of our top threads this year.

Long-Time Liability Suspended for Not Reporting Lost Gun

In May, OPA suspended Autumn Arbogast for failing to immediately report her lost gun while on leave. She either threw it in the trash or donated it to a thrift store. Arbogast has been embarrassing herself and the department for pretty much her whole career. She was previously suspended for mishandling the “Westlake Groper” and an anti-LGBTQ hate crime. Due to seniority, she’s one of the highest-paid patrol officers, earning $60/hr.

Cop Claimed Overtime While Serving Suspension

Officer Joel Nark was investigated for claiming overtime on a day when he was supposed to be serving a suspension. Though Nark violated policy, OPA opted for a “management action” instead. It was beside the point, as the investigation took so long, he had already retired. Nark had previously tried to cheat SPD out of overtime court pay for a case he had testified in as a private citizen.

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

Ofc. Joel Nark claimed overtime for two days he was supposed to be on suspension, but OPA didn’t sustain findings, blaming “systemic gaps in SPD policies” Nark was previously suspended (but not fired) for fraudulently claiming overtime. (THREAD)

Cop Who Rolled His Bike Over Protester Accused of Coin Scam

According to police reports, Officer Eric Walter was investigated for so-called friendly fraud. Several online retailers alleged he ordered high-value goods online and then claimed he never received them. Walter was previously suspended for rolling his bike over a protester’s head during the 2020 protests.

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

In 2017-2018, multiple online vendors claimed SPD Ofc. Eric Walter defrauded them out of merchandise worth thousands of dollars, including watches, gold coins, and motorcycle parts. (THREAD)

DV Violator Locked Himself In Home With Petitioner’s Grandma; Cop Couldn’t Be Bothered

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

Ofc. German Barreto was suspended 5 days for "blowing off" a mandatory DV arrest where the subject of a no-contact order had locked himself in his ex's home with her grandmother. (THREAD)

Senior Officer Sets Off Rookie's 'Creep-O-Meter'

Veteran detective Greg Tomlinson was investigated for inappropriate and “stalkerish” behavior after he made advances on a junior female officer he was mentoring. OPA didn’t sustain findings against him because the woman walked back some of her original statements (she stated that she didn’t want to be seen as that “female officer who complains.”) Tomlinson was arrested before for DUI after totaling his ATF task force vehicle. He was also investigated twice for DV allegations.

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

Gang Detective Greg Tomlinson will face no discipline for advances on a younger female officer and behavior described as “stalkerish,” according to an OPA closed case summary released last week. (THREAD)

Allegations Sustained Against Blue Lives Matter Cop (But He Was Already Fired)

OPA sustained findings for police brutality and uniform violations against Ofc. Marcus Martin, who wore a Blue Lives Matter bandana during the 2020 protests. Martin had already been fired for doing a hit-and-run in his police vehicle and lying about it.

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

First off, OPA sustained findings in a long-awaited investigation into officer Marcus Martin, the Blue Lives Matter bandana-wearing cop who went HAM on protesters at the July 25, 2020 demo. (1/17)

Dae @daeshikjr

Of course the most aggressive Seattle PD Officer is also the one wearing the blue lives matter face mask. He’s already beat up multiple protestors for no clear reason. https://t.co/hBfQh3GWlW

OPA: Officer Did Protection, Served as a Mule for Interstate Drug Racket

According to the OPA, a preponderance of evidence showed SPD Officer Brandon Gandy provided protection and likely acted as a courier for his best friend’s interstate drug trafficking operation. Gandy transferred to another department before the investigation ended and could not be compelled to participate.

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

Next up, Ofc. Brandon Gandy was investigated for acting as “muscle” for his best friend and "confidant's" interstate narcotics and organized retail theft operation. (7/17) seattle.gov/Documents/Depa…

No Discipline for Officer Who Said Cops Would 'Break Bones' to Protect Off-Duty Jobs

When a group tried to set up a competing marketplace for off-duty hiring, Det. Mac Gordon warned them that a “mini-mafia” controlled that racket and would “break some bones” if anyone “messed” with their high-pay, low-work traffic flagging gigs and kickbacks. OPA argued these were “colorful exaggerations.”

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

OPA: Det. Mac Gordon's remarks about an SPD mini-mafia” squeezing businesses and breaking bones “were not intended to be true and accurate descriptions of a business practice.” They were colorful “exaggerations.” (THREAD)

Shooting, K9 Mauling of Naked Man in Crisis Ruled' Lawful and Proper

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

CW: police violence, death, animal cruelty . . In a report released last week, OPA argued that SPD officers acted lawfully when they sicced a dog on a naked mentally ill and shot him to death on Jan. 5. (THREAD) seattle.gov/Documents/Depa…

Officer Who Did Brutal Bar Beating Saved by SPOG Deadlines

DivestSPD @DivestSPD

SPOG-imposed investigation deadlines strike again! Thanks to the guild contract, Sexual Assault Unit Det. Anthony Belgarde will face no discipline for a brutal 2015 off-duty beating at a bar in Port Orchard (THREAD) Donate: ko-fi.com/divestspd

Rookie Officer Suspended for Threatening Ex

Daniel Perez Puga, 25, a probationary officer, was suspended after his ex provided texts and pictures showing that he threatened to slash her tires and rip out her hair extensions. She also alleged that he did more than threaten her. Full Story.

What’s on the Horizon in 2023?

In the coming year, we plan to build on the knowledge, experience, and skills we’ve accumulated while expanding our reach and leveraging the community to realize the vision of a truly people-powered watchdog.

Here are just a few of the projects we have in store:

• Work with Seattle TechBloc to enhance spd.watch by adding court cases, claims for injury and property destruction, detailed misconduct summaries, criminal investigations, and more.

• Host regular crowd-sourced research events to investigate every police officer at SPD systematically.

• Build a state-wide database of police fired for misconduct and police rosters to track “bad apples” as they move from department to department

• Expand communication channels beyond Twitter and Instagram to disseminate police misconduct stories to a broader audience. (This newsletter is the first step, so subscribe!)

• Widen the scope of our investigations beyond SPD to the King County Sheriff’s Office and other police departments in the Seattle metro