Reversing Decision, SPD Removes Controversial Captain Tietjen from East Precinct
Tietjen was disciplined repeatedly for his actions during the 2020 protests on Capitol Hill, including an incident involving alleged harassment of a trans woman.
By Erica C. Barnett
Two days after PubliCola exclusively reported that Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes had promoted controversial police lieutenant Michael Tietjen to captain and put him in charge of Capitol Hill’s East Precinct, Barnes announced internally that he was removing Tietjen and appointing a new commander for the precinct.
In an internal email to SPD, Barnes blamed our article for “leading to a crisis of confidence among our LGBTQIA+ community members” and said his decision stemmed from “internal leaks” and “a lack of comprehensive input from those involved in employee assignments” for his decision to remove Tietjen.
Tietjen became infamous during the 2020 protest after he drove his unmarked SUV onto a sidewalk full of people and, when they scattered, referred to them as “cockroaches.” His punishment in that case was being reassigned to a different precinct. Tietjen was suspended without pay for another protest-related incident, in which he shoved a person who was trying to render aid to a demonstrator blinded by tear gas into a bus stop, slamming the man’s head into the structure.
That same summer, Tietjen was reprimanded for failing to act when he was in an SUV full of police who allegedly harassed a trans woman, asking her if she “had a dick under” her skirt. Tiejten has a child who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, from whom he is estranged.
In the email, Barnes blamed “internal leaks within our department” as well as PubliCola’s article for creating “unease” that forced his hand.
Among the immediate concerns is a recent article that has raised unease within the East Precinct, leading to a crisis of confidence among our LGBTQIA+ community members. This situation has prompted several community partners to withdraw their support. To address this, I will be reassigning our East Precinct Commander and appointing a new leader to help restore our community engagement efforts. This decision stems from a lack of comprehensive input from those involved in employee assignments and internal leaks within our department. My priority is to always restore trust within our community.
Far from resulting from “leaks,” Barnes’ decision reportedly received massive internal and external pushback after PubliCola reported it. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office reportedly did not support Tietjen’s appointment and may have been blindsided by the decision. We’ve reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
After PubliCola’s article came out, a number of longtime leaders in the police accountability and LGBTQ+ community reached out to Harrell’s office. We’re reaching out to some of those individuals and will update this post.
Joel Merkel, the co-chair of the Community Police Commission, told PubliCola after our story came out that promoting Tietjen to head up the East Precinct raised concerns about Chief Barnes’ “knowledge and insight into SPD’s history history and dynamics … particularly as we’re trying to change the culture of SPD.”
We’ve reached out to SPD for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated on PubliCola.com.
Who else reported on this remarkably bad decision by SPD? Answer: No one. Thanks, Erica, for holding those in power responsible. They probably hate your guts. But it's for stories like this that I subscribe.
Thank god! The tone deafness and lack of sensitivity of this mayor is beyond measure