J6 cop's false statements earn him 30-day suspension

Officer Jason Marchione gave untrue accounts of a crash in Bellevue and told the investigator he worked at SPD in an apparent attempt to get favorable treatment

Officer Jason Marchione works the 2020 protests (Spd.watch)

Seattle Police Officer Jason Marchione received a 30-day suspension—the highest discipline short of termination—for his actions following a 2021 collision in Bellevue, according to a recently released report. Marchione gave local police conflicting statements after slamming into a car stuck in traffic and mentioned that he worked for SPD, which the investigating officer called a “red flag.”

Marchione, one of six SPD officers who attended Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, rear-ended a car stopped at the intersection of NE 8th and 116th Ave NE in August of the same year. After the crash, Marchione blamed the other driver, claiming he stopped suddenly. However, video of the intersection showed that the car had been standing still at the red light for minutes before the collision.

Before Bellevue police arrived, Marchione went home with the driver’s permission to get his cell phone, which allegedly contained his insurance information. Marchione returned shortly thereafter to give his statement.

Unaware that Bellevue police had already retrieved a video of the collision, Marchione repeated his false claim that the other vehicle was moving but stopped abruptly when the light turned yellow, leaving him little time to react.

When the officer asked why his statement contradicted the video evidence, Marchione replied, “I guess I was just distracted.” Marchione also casually mentioned that he worked at Seattle’s South Precinct, which the investigating officer regarded as suspect—especially in light of Marchione’s conflicting statements and behavior that was “consistent with someone who did not want to admit fault.”

The Office of Police Accountability initially sustained dishonesty findings against Marchione, the penalty for which is “presumed termination” under the police contract. However, the OPA walked back its findings after former Chief Adrian Diaz and the police guild challenged whether the evidence met the “elevated standard of review” required for so-called stigmatizing offenses.

The police guild argued that “cognitive distractions” explain why Marchione gave conflicting accounts of the collision and that the OPA could not prove he intentionally deceived the investigator.

OPA brought in a “human factors expert,” who reviewed the case and found Marchione’s actions before the collisions were “consistent with the known effects of driver inattention” and that he provided “three conflicting statements regarding (what caused it).”

After a “robust discussion” among the OPA, Marchione’s chain of command, and the police guild, the OPA decided to remove the allegation and treat Marchione’s misconduct as a professionalism violation. In the past, sustained findings in similar cases have landed officers on the Brady List for credibility issues.

Marchione was also recently reprimanded for another incident in which he taunted and mocked a mentally ill man during an involuntary commitment. He also has another active investigation for “conformance to law” allegations open since July 2021. In 2023, a year Marchione spent entirely on leave, he made $117,854.