Tacoma officers slam police chief's 'woke, disgusting statement' after officers acquitted in death of suspect

TACOMA, WA - Law Enforcement Today recently reported on the City of Tacoma paying three officers, who were acquitted in the death of a city man, a sum of $500,000 to secure their resignations from the Tacoma Police Department. In response to the offer, Tacoma’s police chief, a woke, progressive knucklehead, channeled his best social justice warrior shtick, which we are now learning infuriated Tacoma officers. 

Radio talk show host Jason Rantz of KTTH in Seattle reported afterward that Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore’s comments intended to “placate anti-police activists” served to insult his own officers, and now some are speaking out. 

In case you missed it, three officers were accused of killing a man named Manny Ellis after he was detained Ellis as he was walking home from a convenience store. Police said Ellis attempted to open the car door of a vehicle passing through an intersection, which two officers observed. They called Ellis, who was sweating profusely, over at which time Ellis threatened to “punch” one of the officers in the face. 

A confrontation ensued, during which Ellis was struck twice in the head as he wrestled with the officers. They also used a Taser and a brief neck restraint. At some point during the confrontation, Ellis claimed he couldn’t breathe, ala George Floyd. 

An autopsy showed Ellis had a “high concentration of methamphetamine” in his system, along with other comorbidities, including an enlarged heart. The former medical examiner testified that the meth concentration in Ellis was “extremely high.” 

All three officers were arrested by an overzealous Attorney General (sound familiar?), with two officers charged with second and first-degree manslaughter and the third with first-degree manslaughter only. All three were acquitted by a jury of their peers. It should be noted that the attorney general, Bob Ferguson, is running for Washington governor, and he likely charged the officers to appeal to the radical Democratic base in the state. 

The case was the first such case under a police accountability law passed in 2019, Initiative 940. 

All of this led Tacoma’s “progressive” police chief to take the occasion to slam not only his own officers but the entire police profession. For instance, Moore implied in his statement that the three officers were likely responsible for Ellis’ death but escaped prosecution because department policy at the time permitted their actions. 

Moore also offered a “collective” apology for racist policing. 

“I acknowledge the detrimental impact of policing on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, extending both a personal and collective apology,” he wrote. "My awareness of the historical context of policing includes acts of oppression, abuse, and dehumanization, all carried out under the color of law. [emphasis added]"

“Additionally, I recognize the atrocities spanning the last 30 years up to the present. I am committed to acknowledging and taking responsibility, adamantly refusing to condone or turn a blind eye to such heinous acts.” [emphasis added]"

Moore’s attack on his own department’s officer didn’t sit well with the rank and file. Several officers reached out to Rantz to express their anger, frustration, and disgust with Moore, referring to the email as “inappropriate and divisive” while showing Moore is “out of touch with actual policing.” 

One officer, speaking to Rantz under the condition of anonymity, told him, “I am disgusted by Chief Moore’s press release. I have never served under someone so out of touch and disassociated from patrol officers and what we do day in and day out. I have never seen him in turnout [roll call]. Not once. He is not seen. He is not heard from anyone below the ivory tower of the third floor of the station.

“For him to come out and blast this department is truly a heinous act and an atrocity, not the way we police. The fact of the matter is 12 jurors unanimously said ‘not guilty.’ Internal affairs said no wrongdoing. The way to truly heal as a community is with facts and not feelings. All death is tragic; no one argues this. We all hurt for the Ellis family.

“But instead of coming out strong and backing your officers, you rely on the woke cry of the ‘fill in the blank’ punchline or political talking point that’s popular at the moment. The only way to put out the fire of lies is with the water of truth. Sadly, we have an administration with an endless supply of gasoline." 

Meanwhile, Tacoma’s union president told Rantz that he’d heard the same thing from other officers expressing the same sentiments. 

Another officer, also speaking on condition of anonymity, reached out to Rantz. He complained that not only Moore but other police administrators spit in the faces of their officers. 

“They [TPD officers)] are being mischaracterized by their own absent chief as racist monsters who have abused their power for the last 30 years. There have been no examples provided,” the officer said. “The same chief that is never seen or heard from by the rank and file except in emails and press releases where he demonizes us as a whole. A chief that hasn’t responded [to] or handled a single 911 call for service the entire time he’s been in office. 

“In the end, it is the community that suffers from a lack of policing. While TPD wasn’t defunded, what we got was de-policed. Radio silence when there are no pending 911 calls. Every officer is afraid. Not afraid of losing their life in the line of duty, but afraid of being prosecuted for doing their job. Policing in Washington is slowly coming to extinction, a point of no return. If the citizens of this state don’t put an end to the current political climate, I fear there won’t be any hope of reversing course.” 

This officer makes a good point, and, for example, look no further than the State of Connecticut, where you are lucky ever to see a state trooper conducting speed enforcement on the state’s highways. And who can blame them? Connecticut, as did many liberal states in a knee-jerk reaction to the death of George Floyd, passed police accountability laws that have tied the hands of police. As the Tacoma officer pointed out, why would police go out and do their job when they fear being prosecuted for doing so or losing everything they own in a bogus lawsuit? 

The Tacoma officer continued, complaining that the so-called “transformative policies that they so deeply brag” about have led to more violent crime and property crime citywide. Tacoma city officials and the police administration claim that crime is down, however, compare it to historic highs in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. Also, some officers say the city is intentionally mislabeling some crimes as a way to pad the statistics, he told Rantz. 

“This administration, including the city administration, single-handedly destroyed what was once a great place to work. Their transformation can be summed into one word–de-policing,” he added. 

Rantz reached out to the social justice warrior heading the Tacoma Police Department but declined the request through his spokesperson. 

Not only is he a bloviating buffoon, but he’s also a coward.