Internal Strife Rocks the Seattle Police Force
In a three-hour secret session, police commissioners shuffle appointments, fire detectives, and grapple with accusations of graft and infighting.
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The police commission met in a three-hour secret session at Chief Jackson’s office. Instead of formal trials, the board engaged in a purge driven by internal jealousies and 'back-capping.' Detective George Cave was dropped from the force, a move he blamed on the 'jobbing' proclivities of other officers. Several others were demoted or suspended, including one officer suspended for taking a one-dollar bribe from a prostitute. Commissioner Wallingford was identified as a central figure in pushing for these removals. Amidst the chaos, new rules were adopted to standardize the reporting of lost property and to require officers to act on disturbances immediately.
“The man who is skillful at 'back-capping' his brother patrolman is on top—until he is jobbed himself.”
Police accountability and the role of oversight commissions have been central to Seattle politics for over a century. The 'secret session' dynamic described in 1893 remains a major point of friction in contemporary discussions about transparency within the city's public safety institutions.
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