Accused Seattle Cop Gets Retraining, No Pay Loss

The Seattle Police officer who stepped on the head of a handcuffed man after a fight outside a Ballard nightclub used excessive force, but Chief John Diaz has decided to withhold imposing a 10-day suspension, provided the officer keeps out of trouble.

Officer Garth Haynes was also referred for retraining on the department's policies for professionalism and off-duty behavior, according to a Seattle police disciplinary report obtained by The Seattle Times through a public-disclosure request.

Diaz agreed with Office of Professional Accountability Director Kathryn Olsen that Haynes had used unnecessary force on a detained and unresisting suspect. The chief imposed a 10-day suspension without pay but held the punishment providing Haynes stay out of similar trouble for the next two years.

Read the full Seattle Times story.