2 Bellevue cops disciplined over off-duty incident at Seahawks game

BELLEVUE – Two Bellevue police officers were disciplined and one was exonerated after an off-duty incident that occurred at CenturyLink Field in September during a Seahawks game, Police Chief Linda Pillo announced Tuesday.

The officers allegedly taunted a Seattle police officer  and  a complaint was received at CenturyLink Field for their alleged drunken and disorderly behavior.

Following an internal investigation, Bellevue police Cpl. Dion Robertson, a 22-year veteran, was demoted to officer and lost his supervisory responsibilities on the Bomb Squad, which results in a significant annual loss in pay, Pillo said, without citing the amount.

Officer Andy Hanke, a seven-year veteran, was given 30 days' suspension from duty without pay and was removed from the Bomb Squad, also resulting in a significant loss in annual wages, Pillo said.

A female detective was exonerated and cleared of all allegations.

“I am convinced that these officers have learned a very hard lesson and their actions in the future will always meet the high standards of behavior that the Bellevue community rightfully demands of their police,” Pillo said. “The discipline given to these officers is firm yet fair.

“After the media’s description of the events, some citizens demanded I terminate these officers. Once the facts were uncovered through a comprehensive administrative investigation conducted by the Office of Professional Standards regarding the off-duty alleged conduct, it was clear their actions, although embarrassing and disheartening, did not rise to the level of termination,” the police chief said.

On Sept. 16, the Seattle Police Department contacted Pillo regarding a littering and taunting incident involving off-duty Bellevue police officers.

After seeing a woman littering, an SPD officer asked the woman to pick up the litter. The woman, a City of Bellevue Utilities employee, picked the item up. But Robertson and Hanke, who were with the woman, used profane language while confronting the SPD officer, Pillo said. An SPD supervisor was called to the scene to assist with the incident.

Shortly after this incident, security was contacted inside the stadium by a ticket-holder complaining about Robertson and Hanke’s offensive language used while he and his family watched the game. During this incident, the woman who littered earlier, made statements identifying them as “Bellevue’s finest” and suggested to the citizen to be careful while driving in Bellevue.

Security asked them to leave the stadium. A female Bellevue detective was not involved in this incident and did not make any comments to the public, as previously reported by the media.

During the internal investigation, it was determined Hanke drove home under the influence of alcohol. The investigation could not determine his level of intoxication and there is no forensic evidence of his level of intoxication when he operated the vehicle. This lack of evidence precludes a criminal prosecution, but led to his suspension without pay, Pillo said.