In a settlement reached with the family of a 37-year-old Black man shot and killed by Olympia police in 2022, the city will pay $600,000 and has agreed to ban officers from the “personalization” of their equipment, effectively bringing to an end the display of polarizing symbols like the “thin blue line” flag.
Details of the unusual settlement of a wrongful death tort claim filed by the family of Timothy Green were announced by lawyers Monday.
The agreement also requires that Olympia Police Chief Rich Allen, his deputy and assistant chiefs and the four officers involved in Green’s death complete state training “on the historical intersection between race and policing.” Furthermore, the city agreed to demands that all Olympia police officers receive more training on crisis intervention.
As part of the settlement, the police department is required to update its policy within one year to broadly prohibit officers from decorating their equipment, no matter the subject matter, rather than banning any particular symbols. During the fatal encounter with Green, officers had displayed Blue Lives Matter emblems and a sticker reminiscent of the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag.
The trainings and policy changes were required by Green’s family members, who were prepared to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city if their demands weren’t met, the lawyers said.