Seattle sergeant sent unwanted sexts to subordinate and lied to investigators
Sgt. Michelle McRae denied sending sexual text messages to an underling, but the number matched her personal cell. She's likely facing termination.
Seattle Police Sergeant Michelle McRae sent unwanted lewd texts to a subordinate officer, retaliated against him, and lied about the messages to a human resources investigator, according to recently released internal affairs reports and documents obtained through a public records request.
McRae and the officer filed a series of complaints against each other, resulting in seven Office of Police Accountability investigations and two Equal Employment Opportunity inquiries. Some of these are ongoing, but two have resulted in sustained findings against McRae so far.
After McRae took over the officer’s squad in April 2024, the two began having coffee and exchanging “flirty” text messages, according to an Office of Police Accountability report released last week.
However, the relationship soured on Aug. 5, 2024. McRae and the officer gave conflicting accounts. The officer said that he told her, “We need to put a stop on this. You know, my wife is getting very upset,” but McCrae claims that she told him she wanted to just be friends.
On July 31, less than a week before this exchange, McRae sent the officer a text at 4:52 a.m. that read: “I just want to push you down and mount you! I’d pin your arms above your head, and not let you touch me until you can’t stand it anymore! Then I’d make you flip me over and take me hard!”
Another said: “We’re talking about shave, no shave. A landing strip for the win. Ugh. Sad you aren’t here. Too bad I can’t issue orders off duty. You’d be my first order. Get on your knees. OMG, I’m so fired.”
In September, the officer filed EEO and OPA complaints, alleging that McCrae had retaliated against him by not allowing him to serve as an acting sergeant, a temporary position that provides officers with command experience and a pay bump.
This set off a chain of dueling complaints and investigations.
McRae responded in October by filing complaints that the officer physically assaulted her by putting his hand over her mouth (the city attorney declined charges, and a witness noted the two were “giggling”) and that he was the one who sent sexually harassing texts to her.
The officer filed another complaint against McRae for retaliation, which the OPA argued was “unfounded” because it could not determine that McRae’s use of the complaint process was “frivolous.”
In February, the OPA opened another investigation into McRae's alleged lie to EEO investigator Rebecca McKechnie about the sexts she sent to the officer. The officer showed McKechnie the texts on his cellphone, and the phone number matched the one in McRae’s personnel file.
When asked plainly if she sent the messages, McRae said, “I don’t know. Not those messages.”
Lieutenant's lawsuit is the latest salvo in a years-long feud
Last week, Seattle Police Lieutenant John O’Neil filed a lawsuit claiming that he’s experienced frivolous complaints, racism, harassment, and punitive transfers. While the courts will decide whether these claims add up to a hostile workplace in the strict legal sense, it’s clear he’s faced a lot of hostility on the job.
The OPA has already completed its investigation and found that McRae was dishonest. It also sustained allegations that McRae retaliated against the officer by preventing him from working as an acting sergeant. In April, the OPA opened yet another investigation alleging that McRae violated the law.
While Chief Shon Barnes hasn’t issued final discipline, the presumed penalty for dishonesty in the Seattle Police Officers Guild contract is termination.