SEATTLE — Seattle Police Department Assistant Chief Mike Sanford will not face charges in relation to a misconduct investigation that was revealed Tuesday, the King County Prosecutor's Office said.
The case came about after several Seattle police captains complained about Sanford's conduct with regard to "how he handled charitable donations solicited from subordinates," The Seattle Times reported. "The captains also expressed concerns that Sanford had interfered in a traffic accident involving his daughter and that he possibly worked a private security job on city time, the (Times') source said."
The State Patrol did not make a recommendation on whether charges should be sought.
Troopers "uncovered no evidence to support a conclusion that there was a criminal law violation," Mark Larson, the county's chief criminal deputy prosecutor, concluded in a letter Tuesday to Patrol Chief John Batiste.
Larson added that his office's review is limited to the question of criminal liability on the three issues. Official misconduct is a gross misdemeanor.
The investigation into Sanford came out of specific allegations that the Department of Justice provided, Larson noted in his letter. The U.S attorney's office and the Justice Department recently told the Seattle city attorney's office that they had uncovered allegations of possible misconduct.
The Seattle attorney's office couldn't handle the investigation because of a possible conflict of interest. The patrol began investigating about a month ago and forwarded its completed report to prosecutors with no recommendation on whether charges should be filed, said patrol spokesman Bob Calkins.
Police spokesman Mark Jamieson declined to comment. He said police officials have called a news conference Tuesday afternoon to address the issue.
Sanford, 51, is a key figure in overseeing the creation and implementation of broad reforms sought by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a civil-rights investigation, the newspaper reported.
In December, Justice officials found that Seattle police routinely used unconstitutional excessive force. The probe was prompted by a series of high-profile clashes between minorities and police, including the fatal shooting of a Native American woodcarver.
The Justice Department and the city are negotiating over police reforms.