Seattle Officer Fired Over Race-Biased Comments

A police officer in Seattle, OR, was fired after the department determined he had made off-duty racial and sexist comments to his neighbor in 2022. The Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) filed a bias complaint against Officer Burton Hill with the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) on behalf of the neighbor.

After review by OPA, he was terminated by Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz in May for violating departmental policies. Diaz now is the former chief after being reassigned recently.

Following the public release of an audio recording of the 2022 dispute over the neighbor’s dog, the officer was placed on administrative leave in September 2023.

The OPA investigation found that the officer violated two policies during the exchange, reported KING5 . Those are:

• Officers will not engage in bias-based policing

• Employees will strive to be professional

However, OPA found a third claim that Hill had threatened the neighbor with jail time as inconclusive.

OPA had recommended a range of disciplinary actions, from a 30-day suspension to termination of employment, the Associated Press reported.

The final decision on the disciplinary action was left up to Diaz.