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Bellevue resident alleges police mishandled child‑sex‑trafficking evidence, asks council for independent probe
Summary
During public comment, a parent accused Bellevue Police Department officers of suppressing and destroying evidence in child‑sex‑trafficking cases and asked the council to authorize an independent criminal investigation; the transcript records no city or police response on the record during the meeting.
Bellevue — A community member told the City Council on May 5 that Bellevue Police Department personnel mishandled and suppressed evidence in child‑sex‑trafficking cases involving her daughter and called on the council to order an independent investigation.
“Their response to evidence of sex trafficking was to suppress it and destroy it, racketeer the rules of evidence and safety,” Maria Hudson said during the oral‑communications period. She named specific employees by the names recorded in her remarks and said she had sought an independent probe rather than an internal review. “When I asked for an independent investigation, I meant that you should not be investigating yourselves,” she said.
Hudson also characterized the alleged failings as racialized and said the department’s actions contributed to traumatic outcomes for Black girls; she referenced her daughter’s child forensic interviews and asked the council to explain the department’s conduct to African‑American parents.
The transcript records no immediate official response from the police chief or other city staff during the meeting. City staff closed public comment and proceeded to the budget workshop. City staff told the council they would follow up with the public as necessary, but the transcript does not include an on‑the‑record reply from the police department or a statement committing to an investigation.
These remarks are allegations as reported by a commenter in a public forum; they are not verified by the council or city within the meeting transcript. A request for an independent investigation, if made formally to the council, would typically trigger staff review of procedures for referring complaints to an outside agency or for initiating an independent audit or criminal referral. The council did not vote or direct staff to open an external investigation during the meeting.
Next steps: staff said they would “follow up if and when necessary” at the close of the public comment period; anyone seeking official action should submit a formal complaint or request so it can be routed through the city’s investigative and legal processes.
Reporter’s note: The transcript preserves the allegations as public comment. This article does not assert the allegations are proven; it reports what the speaker said and that no city response is recorded in the meeting transcript.
