TACOMA, Wash. — As Tacoma works through the trial of the three officers charged with the death of Manuel Ellis, the city's leaders are trying to figure out how to move the community forward.
Mayor Victoria Woodards, along with City Manager Elizabeth Pauli and Tacoma Interim Police Chief Mike Ake, discussed how their investigations are going on Tuesday.
“We don’t have all the answers yet, but we’ll share them as we learn them,” Woodards said as she called for patience as they gathered information.
One of the key points that came up was the employment status of the three charged officers.
Since the video of Ellis’s death was released, community organizers have criticized Pauli for not firing the officers, who are still employed. As city manager, Pauli has the final say on the employment status of police officers, and she addressed those criticisms, saying that it’s a matter of due process.
“We’re focusing on making sure that our process complies with existing laws and the disciplinary actions that we take are in line with what we established during our investigation and can be sustained,” Pauli said.
While Tacoma waits for answers, Woodards thanked Tacoma police for their work in the community and sought to remind everyone that this is just one incident that shouldn’t reflect on the department as a whole.
“I stand by every one of those officers and the work they do on behalf of our community,” Woodards said. “This is but an incident. This doesn’t speak to the entire department or who works in the department, so I think Tacoma is blessed to have officers, some of whom I’ve even gone to school with, who work for our police department who are protecting our city every day.”
The mayor went on to say that she understands how frustrating it can be to wait for answers, and she shares those frustrations. She went on to say that she trusts the process and that the city will continue to prioritize transparency as this case develops.
If anyone wants to get the latest developments of the city’s investigations, they’re encouraged to head to the City of Tacoma’s website.