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Wednesday, December 28, 2005 Complaints are taken seriously, ombudsman's office says When the King County Ombudsman's Office was created in 1968, it was one of the first in the nation to respond to citizen complaints about government services. It investigates everything from ethics violations to sheriff's department complaints, but former King County ombudsman Duncan Fowler said it is ill-equipped to properly look into law-enforcement abuse. The office has too few investigators, and no one with a background in law enforcement, said Fowler, former vice president of the U.S. Ombudsman Association who is now a consultant in Minnesota. Current ombudsman Amy Calderwood said her office could benefit from having an investigator with law enforcement experience, but she defended its work. "If a citizen calls with a complaint, their complaint is taken seriously and investigated fully -- whether that fulfills what some people want, maybe not," she said. But the office isn't a place of first recourse for those who want to make complaints about the Sheriff's Office. With few exceptions, ombudsman investigators handle citizen complaints only after the Sheriff's Office has completed its own investigations. The ombudsman's office reviews about 10 percent of all sheriff's internal investigations, and critics say that means no independent body monitors how the agency handles the remaining cases. Calderwood says her office has increased the number of investigations of the agency since she took over in 2002.From 1993 to 2002, the ombudsman's office conducted 60 investigations related to the Sheriff's Office, according to a review of cases over a 10-year period. Four of those investigations were supported, 13 resolved and 38 unsupported. From 2003 to last August, it handled 23 investigations and found all but one to be unsupported. "We make our determination based on a preponderance of the evidence," Calderwood said. "You can't take disciplinary action unless there's clear and convincing evidence." A determination that the complaint was unsupported "doesn't mean that it didn't happen."  INSIDE SEATTLEPI.COM
LIVE CHAT
Investigative reporters Eric Nalder and Lewis Kamb answered readers' questions about this series on Friday, Dec. 30. Read the full transcript.
ABOUT THIS REPORT
This story is part of an ongoing investigation of the King County Sheriff's department. See more.
THE STORIES
Part One: Sheriff's oversight system dated, critics say Ombudsman: Complaints are taken seriously Part Two: Trial of deputies was fueled by politics, says lawyer Part Three: Deputy who turned in her officer-husband felt ostracized WTO case shows firings aren't easy, officials say CONTACTS
Here is contact information for public officials who can address issues raised in this series: Sue Rahr Ron Sims Larry Phillips Norm Maleng VIDEO
 OUR AFFILIATES
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820 Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
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