Seattle Police Department

The Seattle Police Department concedes it was not ready for trouble at the World Trade Organization meeting last fall, though it had ample warning that thousands of demonstrators hoped to hobble the gathering. "In retrospect, SPD commanders put their faith in historical precedent--the Seattle tradition of peaceful protest--in assessing the needs for policing the WTO event," Assistant Police Chief Clark Kimerer wrote in the report made public Tuesday.

Last week, the Seattle Police Department released two unseen photos of the scene of Kurt Cobain's suicide. After intense public interest in the images, the department has published 35 additional photos from the scene. The original two images, though haunting, didn't reveal much new information about the incident. These new photos, however, might add visual detail for fans interested in Cobain's last hours. They contain shots of Cobain's suicide note in its original location (inside his greenhouse, on top of a planter and held down by a pen)

The Seattle Police Department made headlines this month when it decided to hand out bags of Doritos to attendees of the city's annual Hempfest. Now a few enterprising recipients of the complimentary chips are trying to make some money off them.  Type "Hempfest Doritos" into EBay and you'll come up with more than 30 listings, with one small bag going for as much as $55. The organizers of the 22nd annual Seattle Hempfest describe ...

SEATTLE - Police arrested a former employee of a Jewish student center Monday after the man threatened to blow up the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Life at the University of Washington, authorities said. Police shut down streets surrounding the University District center after Hillel employees called to report that the man "threatened to mix toxic chemicals to cause an explosion in the building," according to the Seattle Police Department website. Rabbi Oren Hayon, the Hillel center's executive director, told the Los Angeles Times that "we're not concerned about any anti-Semitic overtones to the threat.

Seattle police said Friday that detectives are looking for links between convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala and two women who were slain in the late 1970s. Police are seeking DNA samples to determine whether Alcala is a suspect in the slayings of Antionette Witaker, 13, and Joyce Gaunt, 17. Both were killed in Seattle, and their cases were never solved. Det. Mark Jamieson of the Seattle Police Department said officials don't have any definitive evidence linking Alcala to the homicides but are exploring whether there is a connection.

Critics of the besieged Seattle Police Department nearly upstaged a rally by supporters at a downtown park Saturday. The police are under fire for their handling of protests during the recent World Trade Organization meetings. "Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Police brutality has got to go!" demonstrators chanted as city and law enforcement officials took the podium to thank more than 400 citizens packed into Westlake Park.

SEATTLE - Police arrested a former employee of a Jewish student center Monday after the man threatened to blow up the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Life at the University of Washington, authorities said. Police shut down streets surrounding the University District center after Hillel employees called to report that the man "threatened to mix toxic chemicals to cause an explosion in the building," according to the Seattle Police Department website. Rabbi Oren Hayon, the Hillel center's executive director, told the Los Angeles Times that "we're not concerned about any anti-Semitic overtones to the threat.

A gunman who stormed onto a Seattle city bus and shot the driver in a spurt of morning rush-hour violence died after being wounded in a shootout with police, authorities said. Martin Duckworth, 31, died of gunshot wounds at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday, hospital spokeswoman Leila Gray said. The 67-year-old bus driver had injuries that weren't believed to be life-threatening, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department. The driver was identified by TV station KING 5 as Deloy Dupuis.

Last week, the Seattle Police Department released two unseen photos of the scene of Kurt Cobain's suicide. After intense public interest in the images, the department has published 35 additional photos from the scene. The original two images, though haunting, didn't reveal much new information about the incident. These new photos, however, might add visual detail for fans interested in Cobain's last hours. They contain shots of Cobain's suicide note in its original location (inside his greenhouse, on top of a planter and held down by a pen)

SEATTLE - Seattle Police Chief John Diaz said Monday he was retiring, leaving a department rocked by a federal investigation into excessive force and criticized for ill-planned responses to tumultuous May Day protests last year. Diaz, 55, said he was leaving as the department had achieved an 11% reduction in major crime over the last four years and made “significant progress” in a reform plan developed with the Justice Department to address findings that officers too often resorted to unnecessary beatings and shootings.

SEATTLE - There was a lot to celebrate  - and a lot to clean up  - Monday morning, the day after the Seattle Seahawks brought home the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time and the vaunted "12th Man" fan base went a little crazy in response. Devotees of this Super Bowl-winning team are known as the loudest in the National Football League, ear-splitting enough that the NFL instituted a noise rule in 1985 in response to the Seattle pandemonium. But after the Seahawks' lopsided victory Sunday night, the 12th Man did more than just yell.

The Seattle Police Department made headlines this month when it decided to hand out bags of Doritos to attendees of the city's annual Hempfest. Now a few enterprising recipients of the complimentary chips are trying to make some money off them.  Type "Hempfest Doritos" into EBay and you'll come up with more than 30 listings, with one small bag going for as much as $55. The organizers of the 22nd annual Seattle Hempfest describe ...

A gunman who stormed onto a Seattle city bus and shot the driver in a spurt of morning rush-hour violence died after being wounded in a shootout with police, authorities said. Martin Duckworth, 31, died of gunshot wounds at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday, hospital spokeswoman Leila Gray said. The 67-year-old bus driver had injuries that weren't believed to be life-threatening, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department. The driver was identified by TV station KING 5 as Deloy Dupuis.

SEATTLE - Seattle Police Chief John Diaz said Monday he was retiring, leaving a department rocked by a federal investigation into excessive force and criticized for ill-planned responses to tumultuous May Day protests last year. Diaz, 55, said he was leaving as the department had achieved an 11% reduction in major crime over the last four years and made “significant progress” in a reform plan developed with the Justice Department to address findings that officers too often resorted to unnecessary beatings and shootings.

SEATTLE -- The city of Seattle has agreed to set up an independent monitor and a community police commission to settle a review by the U.S. Justice Department, which had accused police of routinely escalating minor encounters with citizens and resorting to unnecessary use of batons, flashlights and other weapons. The memorandum of understanding provides for federal court oversight of a multi-year reform effort, similar to agreements that have been put into place in troubled cities across the country, including Los Angeles and -- earlier this week -- New Orleans.

SEATTLE -- Seattle was paralyzed at midday Wednesday by two shootings that occurred within half an hour of each other in two of the city's most congested areas, sparking massive manhunts for what initially appeared to be two different suspects. The first shooting occurred about 11 a.m. at a popular cafe near the University of Washington. An unidentified gunman opened fire on five people, killing two of them and critically wounding the others. Half an hour later, a woman was shot and killed in an apparent carjacking in downtown Seattle in a parking lot near the city's Town Hall lecture center.

SEATTLE -- Seattle was paralyzed at midday Wednesday by two shootings that occurred within half an hour of each other in two of the city's most congested areas, sparking massive manhunts for what initially appeared to be two different suspects. The first shooting occurred about 11 a.m. at a popular cafe near the University of Washington. An unidentified gunman opened fire on five people, killing two of them and critically wounding the others. Half an hour later, a woman was shot and killed in an apparent carjacking in downtown Seattle in a parking lot near the city's Town Hall lecture center.

John T. Williams was a fixture in downtown Seattle with his carving knife and blocks of wood, which he fashioned into artful totems characteristic of the DididahtFirst Nation, his Canadian native tribe. He drank heavily and was hard of hearing in one ear, to the point that Williams — known for telling elaborate stories about the characters in his totems — was often incoherent and oblivious, said several of his friends and relatives. He didn't drop his 3-inch knife when a Seattle police officer ordered him three times to do so at a crowded downtown intersection on Aug. 30. Did he hear the order?

John T. Williams was a fixture in downtown Seattle with his carving knife and blocks of wood, which he fashioned into artful totems characteristic of the DididahtFirst Nation, his Canadian native tribe. He drank heavily and was hard of hearing in one ear, to the point that Williams — known for telling elaborate stories about the characters in his totems — was often incoherent and oblivious, said several of his friends and relatives. He didn't drop his 3-inch knife when a Seattle police officer ordered him three times to do so at a crowded downtown intersection on Aug. 30. Did he hear the order?

In a city that has seen itself has a leader of new globalism, an urban headquarters for the 24/7 economy, there seem fewer reasons than ever to stop drinking just because it's 2 a.m. That's the way Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn sees it, anyway. A new "nightlife initiative" he's promoting would look at keeping some of the city's bars open later, or even all night — recognition, he says, that a modern city's economy no longer has to stop functioning when the bankers go home at 5. City Atty.