In a settlement reached with the family of a 37-year-old black man shot and killed by Olympia, Washington, police in 2022, the city will pay $600,000, have commanders and officers undergo additional training, and ban officers from the “personalization” of their equipment.
Details of the settlement of a wrongful death tort claim filed by the family of Timothy Green were announced by lawyers Monday, the Seattle Times reports.
The agreement also requires that Olympia Police Chief Rich Allen, his deputy and assistant chiefs and the four officers involved in the incident where Green was killed complete state training “on the historical intersection between race and policing.” Furthermore, the city agreed to demands that all Olympia police officers receive more training on crisis intervention.
As part of the settlement, the police department is required to update its policy within one year to broadly prohibit officers from decorating their equipment, no matter the subject matter, rather than banning any particular symbols. During the fatal encounter with Green, officers had displayed Blue Lives Matter emblems and a sticker reminiscent of the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag.
Green was a mentally disturbed man who was fatally shot in a confrontation with police outside of a coffee shop.
The claim said the family was offended because evidence showed that Officer Joseph Anderson, after shooting Green, began lifesaving measures while wearing tactical gloves with the “Blue Lives Matter” insignia.
Anti-police activists say the Blue Lives Matter symbol, a black and white American flag bearing a blue line, is racist “identity ideology.”
