The Seattle City Council voted to approve a tentative contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild, giving police officers wage increases of over 17 percent over the six-year term, retroactive to 2015. The new contract will include reforms such as body-worn cameras and a civilian inspector with oversight powers, but community groups remain concerned that the contract will override a 2012 decree to address Department of Justice findings that Seattle police officers used biased policing and excessive force. U.S. District Judge James Robart, who is presiding over the decree, had recently expressed concerns over the contract, which is subject to his review to make sure it doesn’t conflict with the spirit of the decree.
See "New Seattle police-union contract approved despite community outcry that it could undermine reforms", Steve Miletich, The Seattle Times, November 15, 2018