Mountlake Terrace resident accuses police of mishandling sexual‑assault report; asks council for training, accountability and independent review

A Mountlake Terrace resident told the city council Wednesday that she believes Mountlake Terrace Police Department investigators mishandled her sexual‑assault report and asked the council to require trauma‑informed interview training, accountability and an independent outside review.

"My name is Brianna Osgood, and I am a resident of Linwood," Osgood said at the general public comment period. She described reporting a sexual assault in January, providing video evidence, screenshots, named witnesses and a victim statement. "I did what conventional wisdom tells you to do. Go to the police, tell the truth, and trust the system. But all I got was silence. No one contacted me."

Osgood said she followed up multiple times and later learned her case status had been moved to "inactive." She said the first detective she spoke with "was completely indifferent, almost amused" and that he did not interview her or request medical records. She also said the detective "shamed me" and that the department filed a complaint on her behalf without letting her present it in her own words despite a department policy she said allows victims to file complaints themselves. "We were told the case would be reopened, reassigned, and he would follow‑up," she said. "That follow‑up never came."

Osgood said a commander agreed the case "could have been handled better" and that a new detective later treated her with more respect, but she said delays and lost evidence have hindered the investigation. She asked the council for three items: "in‑depth trauma informed interview training for officers, accountability for policy violations, and an independent review of my case and complaint by a neutral outside party."

Mayor Pro Tem responded after Osgood’s remarks: "We're very sorry for the experience you had with our department. And, we are unable to comment on it, but I did wanna and please ask that you be sure to leave your contact information for, with the city clerk with Jennifer to have our city manager follow‑up immediately and, and get back to council about, where we're at and where this is going." The mayor pro tem asked staff to have the city manager follow up with Osgood and report back to council, and staff acknowledged they would do so.

What the council can and did do: Osgood’s statements were submitted during the public‑comment period; the council did not take policy action during the meeting. Council members later requested follow‑up information from staff. The transcript records the mayor pro tem asking Osgood to leave contact information with the city clerk so the city manager can follow up.

Authorities and process references: Osgood referenced "department policy" about how to file a complaint; the transcript shows she and staff discussed chain of command (detective, detective sergeant, commander, chief) and filing procedures. No statute or discipline decision was announced at the meeting.

Next steps requested: Osgood asked the council for training, accountability for policy violations, and an independent outside review of her complaint. The council asked her to provide contact information so the city manager's office can follow up and report back to council. Staff indicated they would provide a follow‑up report to council on the status of the complaint and any next steps.

This article reports the public comment and the staff response as recorded in the council meeting transcript. It does not describe any completed disciplinary action or investigation findings; those were not provided during the meeting.