Seattle Police Admit They Were Unprepared for WTO Protests

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.

The report was given to Police Chief Herbert V. Johnson, whose predecessor, Norm Stamper, resigned over the handling of the protests.

Police were overwhelmed Nov. 30 when marches by several groups converged downtown. In addition to clogging streets and hampering the WTO gatherings, the crowds provided cover for looters who smashed store windows, leaving an estimated $3 million in property damage. More than 500 people were arrested.

Some officers ran out of tear gas and pepper spray while trying to disperse the crowds. Many officers spent hours without food, water or rest. Two hundred National Guard troops and 600 state troopers were enlisted to restore order.

The report recommends better planning, noting the city had only about nine months to plan for the event, rather than the 14 to 24 months considered standard by the State Department.

Part of the problem was that officials based plans on the 1993 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, held here without incident, Assistant Chief Ed Joiner said. The WTO meeting will now be the model, he said.