State and federal law enforcement officials announced Monday that their investigation of the Tacoma Police Department found no grounds for criminal charges, but did find abundant evidence of management issues.
Pierce County Prosecutor Gerald Home asked for the review after Tacoma Police Chief David Brame fatally shot his wife, Crystal, and himself in April.
Washington State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas said his staff spent more than 6,600 hours on the case, interviewed more than 80 individuals and generated more than 6,000 pages of documentation and 165 pieces of evidence.
Mayor Bill Baarsma issued the following statement on the investigation:
On behalf of the City of Tacoma, I thank Washington State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas for performing the painstaking task of investigating the events leading up to the Brame tragedy. I appreciate the very thorough work of the State Patrol and know it was a daunting task to examine the sheer volume of information in such detail. I also want to thank Attorney General Christine Gregoire for briefing city officials in advance and would like to note my appreciation of the careful work of her office.
All of the city officers briefed this morning fully concur with the six recommendations from the investigation set forth by the Attorney General this morning.
I enthusiastically support the Washington State Patrols Internal Affairs Review of the Police Department, and will work to ensure that the city government continues its commitment to assist this investigation and the Federal inquiry into contracting practices.
I hope that with this portion of the investigation completed, the administrative review of the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs will be restarted and move rapidly toward completion. This, along with the Internal Affairs Review and the Federal inquiry, will allow the city to complete its evaluation of potential administrative changes.
It is important to note that we intend to move ahead with the completion of an effective domestic violence program and begin a comprehensive assessment of the citys human resources policies and functions. It is my ardent hope that through policy initiatives and reforms such as these we can help provide a positive postscript to this tragic event.
