Otto Zehm - Analysis and Impact

Analysis and Impact

The Zehm case provoked public outrage, including protests and public challenges to the Spokane Police by critics. On July 9, 2007, in the wake of another police scandal involving the arrest on July 4, 2007 of 17 people in Spokane's Riverfront Park, a group of some 200 people gathered a block from Spokane's Public Safety Building demanding independent oversight of the Spokane Police Department. At the end of the rally, a group of people entered the street and marched to City Hall where they presented their concerns to the Spokane City Council.

The case also prompted intense scrutiny by the local media and calls for independent oversight. A series of public meetings were held in the first half of 2007, including a three part series on Police Accountability at Gonzaga University. Participants in the series included Breean Beggs of Spokane's Center for Justice, independent journalist Tim Connor, Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Spokane City Councilwoman Mary Verner, and others. The series, sponsored by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and the Peace and Justice Action League (PJALS), culminated in a growing consensus that an appropriate step to address the concerns about police misconduct would be an independent ombudsman styled after the Boise (Idaho) Office of the Community Ombudsman headed by Pierce Murphy. Murphy visited Spokane several times including to participate in one of the Police Accountability forums at Gonzaga. Murphy also spoke prior to a Whitworth University theater production on Police Accountability and the death of Zehm. The unique event -- Crossing the Line: An Examination of Police, Power and People—was held on May 16, 2008 at Spokane's CenterStage.