SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle’s police chief said Wednesday that three more Seattle police officers have reported they were in Washington, D.C., during the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
That brings the total number of Seattle officers under investigation to five. None of their names have been released.
Adrian Diaz, the city’s interim police chief, said Wednesday in a blog post the three officers told their supervisors that they had been in Washington while a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the nation’s Capitol to prevent Congress from accepting the election of now-President Joe Biden.
Diaz last week suspended with pay two other officers who were found to have been in Washington to attend then-President Donald Trump’s rally. Diaz said the three additional officers remained on duty as of Wednesday.
Andrew Myerberg, director of the city’s independent police watchdog, the Office of Police Accountability, said last week that any other officers who may have attended the rally were expected to self-report their involvement, The Seattle Times reported.
Diaz said again Wednesday that if the Office of Police Accountability finds evidence that the officers were directly involved in the insurrection, they will be fired and the information will be shared with federal officials.
“I made it very clear when I assumed this position, that any violation of community trust or any action that threatens our ability to serve this city will be met with full accountability,” Diaz said. “We cannot allow violent or intimidating direct action to become acceptable in our society.”
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