Seattle police chief overturns misconduct finding

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle police chief has overturned a misconduct finding against three officers who fired at a car they mistakenly believed to be the source of gunshots.

Our news partner The Seattle Times reports that Chief Kathleen O'Toole revealed the unusual decision in a letter sent to the mayor and city council president on Friday. The letter is required if the police chief reverses findings by the department's civilian-led Office of Professional Accountability.

O'Toole wrote that officer-involved shootings need to be taken extremely seriously, but revealed that she would have done the same thing in the December 2014 incident. The Seattle Police Officers' Guild president says O'Toole made the right call.

OPA Civilian Director Pierce Murphy says the outcome speaks highly of an oversight system that closely reviews conduct from different perspectives.