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1. How is your department evaluated for policing and law enforcement?

• Ultimately, our community evaluates us and our service. We work for you and our actions and public safety services must meet our community’s needs and standards.
• We are a state accredited agency and have been for many years. As such, we are operating under defined industry standards, to include areas such as code of conduct, internal affairs, prisoner security, hiring, retention, training, discipline, de-escalation and use of force.
• In 2019, we were re-accredited, which is a process we complete every four years. As part of that process, we meet 137 different standards set forth by WASPC, to show we are in compliance with best practices and standards. Of the 244 law enforcement agencies in Washington, we are one of 52 that are designated as state accredited.

2. Where can I find the Bothell Police Department's Policies and Procedures?

Our policies and procedures are available here for the public to view.

3. How do I report an issue, complaint or compliment I have regarding an officer?

We want to hear feedback about our officers. If you have a complaint, compliment or want to send us feedback, the easiest way to do this is by using our online form. You can also call the department directly at 425-486-1254 and ask for a supervisor, or, if you are not comfortable reporting directly to the police, you can call the City Manager at 425-806-6100.

4. Do your officers wear body cameras?

• Currently, we do not equip our officers with body worn cameras, however the department supports the implementation of a body worn camera program.
• There are a wide range of budgetary, legislative and privacy concerns associated with implementing officer worn body cameras. In addition to the cost of the equipment and systems, this would require additional staffing to manage and maintain video files and to provide services for public disclosure requests. As part of our budgeting process, we will continue to evaluate available resources required to implement this program.
• We will continue to monitor the legislative actions regarding these issues.

5. Does your use of force policy allow for chokeholds and strangleholds?

• The Bothell Police Department does not authorize officers to utilize any hold or tactics that restrict airflow and considers any such tactic to be a use of deadly force.
• In specific situations, officers may use the lateral vascular neck restraint (LVNR) as an alternative to other uses of force. The LVNR is specifically designed not to restrict a subject’s airflow and only officers that are trained and certified in the proper use of the technique are authorized to use it. Policy 208 outlines the use of neck restraint holds in more detail.

6. Does your use of force policy require de-escalation?

• Yes. Our policy provides clear guidance to our officers to utilize de-escalation tactics when circumstances permit and when feasible to reduce or eliminate the necessity to use physical force.
• Any use of force is reviewed and evaluated to determine what de-escalation techniques were used. De-escalation is always a part of the training and policy discussion during our annual use of force training. It is also a mandatory requirement to cover de-escalation in regards to WAC 139-11-020, and Initiative 940 implemented on December 7, 2019.
• We also participate in the Response Awareness, De-escalation And Referral (RADAR) program, which addresses the rights and needs of individuals with behavioral health issues and/or developmental disabilities. Having the expert help and assistance of these Mental Health Professionals is very valuable for our officers and ultimately may help reduce use of force incidents.

7. Does your use of force policy require a warning before shooting?

• Policy 200.10 states, “A verbal warning should precede the use of deadly force, where feasible.”
• Policy 200 addresses verbal warnings with respect to all deadly force encounters – not just shootings.

8. Does your use of force policy require officers to exhaust all alternatives before shooting?

• Our use of force policy is based on the concept that officers shall use only the amount of force that reasonably appears necessary, given the facts and circumstances at the time of the use of force.
• Policy 200.8 lists several factors to consider when determining if force is necessary and reasonable. For example, the subject’s mental state or capacity, the availability of other options and their possible effectiveness, and whether the conduct of the individual being confronted no longer reasonably appears to pose an imminent threat to the officer or others.

9. Does your use of force policy ban officers shooting at moving vehicles?

• Policy 200.11 states, “Shots fired at or from a moving vehicle are rarely effective and generally discouraged. Unless it reasonably appears that it would endanger officers or the public, officers are expected to move out of the path of any approaching vehicle. This is not intended to restrict an officer’s right to use deadly force directed at the operator of a vehicle when it is reasonably perceived that the vehicle is being used as a weapon against the officer or others. Officers should not shoot at any part of a vehicle in an attempt to disable the vehicle.”

10. Does your use of force policy include a duty to intervene provision?

• Yes. Policy 200.4 states, “Any officer present or directly observing another officer using force beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, as soon as practicable, intercede to prevent the use of unreasonable force. An officer who observes, or has information that another employee uses force that exceeds the degree of force permitted by law shall promptly report the incident(s) to a supervisor.”

11. Does your use of force policy require a “use of force continuum?”

• The term “use of force continuum” refers to an outdated use of force model. As a state accredited agency, our use of force policy is based on the fundamental concepts of de-escalation, reasonableness and necessity.

12. Does your policy require comprehensive reporting?

• Yes. As a state accredited agency, we are required to ensure we meet a lengthy list of standards as set forth by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). The Bothell Police Department has been a long-standing state accredited agency because we continue to meet these standards. One of the standards involves the reporting of force used by officers and it requires that any force capable of causing injury has to be reported. All use of force events are thoroughly reviewed by a supervisor, a division captain, and the Professional Standards Unit to ensure compliance with our policies, state standards, and legal requirements. In certain cases, such as an officer involved shootings or deadly force encounters, an independent investigative team will be assigned to investigate the incident.

13. Where does Bothell Police stand on "no-knock" warrants?

"No-knock warrants" are illegal in the state of Washington.  See RCW 10.31.040, which strongly states that officers must always make their presence and purpose known. 

RCW 10.31.040

Officer may break and enter.

(1) To make an arrest in criminal actions, the officer may break open any outer or inner door, or windows of a dwelling house or other building, or any other enclosure, if, after notice of his or her office and purpose, he or she be refused admittance.

(2) An officer may not seek and a court may not issue a search or arrest warrant granting an express exception to the requirement for the officer to provide notice of his or her office and purpose when executing the warrant.