Week in Review: Seattle Police Department, I-5, and Joe Kennedy

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with independent health journalist Joanne Silberner, Insider’s Katherine Long, and Seattle Channel’s Brian Callanan.

A Seattle Police Department employee was fired this week after he was accused of fomenting a rumor about Police Chief Adrian Diaz. The rumor is that Diaz has had a romantic relationship with someone he later hired to be a top-level advisor. Diaz is married. He says through his attorney that this is just a work relationship, it has never been romantic. This firing of this employee comes less than a day after KUOW reported on the various external and internal inquiries that have been launched as a result of this rumor spreading through the police department. KUOW has not confirmed that this relationship was or wasn't romantic. In the absence of that, what do we need to know?

This week, a federal judge ruled Seattle Police Department has complied with most of its federal consent decree, but not all. This essentially ends court oversight of police reforms, with the exception of crowd control, including tactics and use of force, and officer accountability. The oversight was established between the DOJ and SPD in 2012. How significant is this?

There was a report out this week about how many people in a mental or behavioral health crisis get turned away from our local treatment facilities. Last year, that number was 1,173, according to a new report from King County’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Division. The reason people are denied treatment isn’t a lack of available beds, the report shows. Instead it’s other causes like being too acute or sick, having a history of aggression or use of restraints, or having autism or other cognitive or developmental disabilities. Why are these denial reasons?

A plan to build a "lid" over Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle got a nod of approval this week from the City Council. This is just a resolution, but it does allow the city to apply for federal grants. It could cost an estimated $1 billion to $2.5 billion dollars. The lid could include park space, new buildings, housing, pedestrian walkways, and bike lanes. The lid could be constructed while I-5 is getting seismic upgrades. What are the arguments, pro and con?

The Bremerton HS assistant football coach that defended his right to pray at midfield and defended it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and won, and got his old job back. Last Friday he finally returned to the field coached one game, prayed on that field, and then he quit. Joe Kennedy says he left because of a family health situation and because he didn't like how he was being treated by the Bremerton School District. He said the school district diminished his role and retaliated against him. What do the school and students say?

A report in Crosscut this week that the people who fight our increasing wildfires, are inhaling that smoke without respirators. The respirators that structural firefighters wear, as well as N95 masks don’t meet the physical demands of wildland firefighting. Why are they exempt from safety regulations?