“The Seattle Police Department (SPD) paid the Seattle Times $20,000 after admitting to withholding an internal memo criticizing the department’s response against protesters in a May 1, 2012 demonstration. The Times reported on Tuesday that the department confessed to violating the state’s Public Records Act by not making the memo public, which criticized Assistant Chief Mike Sanford for ‘contradictory orders, haphazard planning and operational interference’ during the 2012 ‘May Day” demonstration in downtown Seattle. The payout prevents the department from being sued by the Times for violating the law.”
