Officer Reprimanded for Abusive Conduct
A Seattle officer faces the police board after breaking down a door and using profanity during a raid on a lodging house.
The police board held a session to hear charges against Officer George Sheehan, preferred by A. E. Boyd, owner of the Pease lodging house. The charges alleged that Sheehan used profane and abusive language while arresting Maggie and Martha McKenzie. Witnesses testified that Sheehan broke down the door to the women's room and, when confronted, used aggressive language. Officer Philbrick claimed the warrant was read by the light of a dark lantern, but other witnesses and the owner corroborated that the officer’s behavior was threatening and abusive. After an executive session, the board reported that Officer Sheehan was reprimanded for using language unsuitable for an officer.
“you, I have you now; get out of there or I'll take you as you are.”
This report highlights a 19th-century version of police misconduct accountability. The 'Pease lodging house' raid serves as a window into the era's policing of women's private lives and the struggle for civic oversight of law enforcement.
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