Pubdate: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 Source: Seattle Times (WA) Copyright: 2014 The Seattle Times Company Contact: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409 Page: 16 CITY ATTORNEY SPEAKS OUT ON OFFICER'S POT TICKETING Advocate of Legalization Discusses Enforcement of Ban 'It's About Getting People to Stop Smoking Marijuana in Public' In the wake of news stories about a Seattle police officer under investigation for writing 80 percent of the tickets this year for using marijuana in public, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes on Thursday issued a statement outlining his position on enforcement of the ban. In some cases, the officer added a notation to the tickets requesting the attention of "Petey Holmes," a strong advocate of pot legalization. Here is Holmes' statement: "In the wake of reports that a single Seattle police officer issued the bulk of tickets for smoking marijuana in public, I want to make sure that the public understands how this civil infraction came to be and why it must be applied fairly. I leave it to SPD's Office of Professional Responsibility and Chief Kathleen O'Toole to sort out the facts about the officer's conduct. "When I-502 passed voters were promised that public marijuana use would remain illegal, but as a civil infraction rather than a crime. "As an I-502 sponsor I also consider this my promise, which is why I supported writing the civil infraction into Seattle law. "This isn't about fining people; it's about getting people to stop smoking marijuana in public, especially in crowded areas and places where families and children congregate. "At the same time City Council wisely recognized that even civil infractions can be issued in a racially disproportionate manner, much like the War on Drugs itself. "That is why we have a reporting requirement to receive early indicators of any disproportionate enforcement. "And I'm absolutely concerned about the numbers in the report showing disproportionality. "I'm also concerned about inconsistent citywide enforcement with both warnings and tickets across the five precincts, which may also be an underlying factor in the first report. "I support enforcing the law, I support warning people before ticketing them and only issuing a ticket if the warning doesn't work, and I support spreading enforcement efforts equitably across the city." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom