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 Ruth
Teichroeb, a 2002 Dart fellow, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer
colleague Julie Davidow published a special report on domestically
abusive police officers today in the wake of the David Brame murder-suicide
case. Teichroeb and Davidow found 41 officers in the King and
Pierce counties who have been accused of assaulting, stalking,
threatening or harassing their wives, girlfriends or children.
Only half faced charges. Officers are “rarely found to be
at fault by internal investigations,” the newspaper said.
In part one of a three part series, Teichroeb and Davidow tell
the story of Jenifer Rees, who was assaulted in 2000 by her then-husband,
Seattle police officer Phil Rees. When King County sheriff’s
deputies arrived, they handed the intoxicated Phil back his gun
and let him drive away so he wouldn’t miss work in the morning.
The reporters touch on the psychological injury suffered by victims
of domestic violence, in one case telling about a woman whose
nightmares included being shot and having a child abducted, and
in other cases talking about the fear experienced by victims.
In Thursday’s piece, Teichroeb and Davidow will show that
abusive officers know how to intimidate and use force without
leaving evidence. In Friday’s piece, advocates for victims
will say the officers and their departments must be held accountable.
For the series, see:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/police
Other profiles of domestic violence cases, online resources and
phone numbers for where to find help are also available.
For continuing coverage of the Brame case, see:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/brame
For the Dart Center’s report on the Tacoma investigation,
click here.
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