Seattle Police Chief Calls for Dismissal of Cannabis Tickets
Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole has called for the dismissal of dozens of tickets for consuming cannabis in public given by an officer who was found to have distributed over 80% of the tickets in the city in the first 7 months of the year. The announcement came from Sergeant Sean Whitcomb, spokesman for the Seattle Police Department.
Chief O’Toole has sent a letter to the Seattle City Attorney Pete Holme’s office, requesting that he petition the Municipal Court to vacate and dismiss the tickets written by officer Randy Jokela between January 1st and July 30th. Officer Jokela was put on leave, and had his route changed in August after it was found he had distributed 66 of the 83 tickets given out in the city for the public consumption of cannabis. On some tickets, Jokela marked on the ticket that the state’s cannabis legalization law is “silly”. Jokela also admitted to sometimes flipping a coin when deciding who to ticket.
Seattle Attorney Pete Holmes is likely to be in support of the request, as last month he stated that he hopes the tickets given by Jokela are ignored and go unpaid by those who receive them.
– TheJointBlog
Dustin
How about he does some jail time for abuse of power?
Carol Francey
I guess you just can’t be a dick anymore when you’re a police guy.
George E Diehl Jr
If the police have been publicly called out for being inconsiderate, inappropriate, disrespectful and unprofessional racists by management, slapped on the wrist, spared prosecution to the full extent of the law a civilian would face; yes, it is okay to let the cop off the hook of being a menacing, threatening, intimating, predatory law enforcement professional abuser.