Los Angeles consultant Merrick Bobb has been named the official monitor to oversee reforms of the Seattle Police Department. The ruling was made by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart.
Bobb has monitored the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department for 16 years and is nationally recognized for his work in police accountability.
Bobb’s name was officially submitted in a joint motion filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City of Seattle.
The motion states that an extensive process was conducted to select the monitor, which included interviews and background checks of candidates.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle Police Chief originally objected to Bobb as a monitor, but caved after the City Council passed a resolution backing him.
McGinn had stated that Bobb might be biased because a board member of his non-profit organization, Police Assessment Resource Center, helped write the Department of Justice report that Seattle police officers had engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force.
