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OPOC says protest-review MOU progressing but constrained by police guild contract
Summary
OPO staff told commissioners the protest-review MOU is moving forward after talks with the mayor and stakeholders, but the Spokane Police Guild contract contains a clause (referred to as “letter u”) that restricts OPO reports from commenting on discipline, findings about officer conduct, credibility, or policy compliance.
OPO staff told the commission on Nov. 18 that the office is close to first-round MOUs to govern protest reviews but that terms are constrained by provisions in the Spokane Police Guild collective bargaining agreement. Bart Logue said he and staff have met with the mayor, city legal, the police guild and command staff; he described the mayor as supportive of OPO’s role but said the contract places limits the office must navigate.
Logue pointed to a specific contractual restriction — characterized in the meeting as "letter u" — that reads, in part, that an OPO report "shall not comment on discipline... whether the officer acted properly... or whether the officer's actions were in compliance with training or policy." Logue said that limitation is “an awful lot of restrictions when it comes down to doing an independent review” and that city legal’s involvement is necessary to frame what the OPO can publish while staying within the agreement.
Why it matters: The restriction narrows what the OPO can say in public reports about officer conduct and credibility. Logue explained the office is trying to craft the protest-review MOU to maximize accountability within those legal and contractual constraints.
Commissioners pressed for timing on the MOU and were told talks have been difficult at times but are progressing; staff said the MOU with the police guild is closest to completion, with a second MOU planned for the lieutenants-and-captains association.
What’s next: The OPO will continue negotiations with city legal and the guild; the commission emphasized the need to memorialize deviations from normal procedures and to pursue the strongest possible transparency consistent with the contract and city-legal advice.
Ending: Commissioners acknowledged the tension between legal constraints and the desire for robust oversight and said they will remain engaged as negotiations continue.
