Most Complaints About King County Deputies Didn't Result in Any Discipline

According to a report on KUOW (July 10, 2018) "Most complaints about King County, [WA] deputies didn't result in any discipline."  

A report was released through King County's Office of Law Enforcement Oversight found that members of the public lodged nearly 700 complaints against King County officers in 2016. But because of the way complaints are handled by the Sheriff’s Office, only 33 percent of them actually stood any chance of resulting in discipline. As for the other 467 complaints? They were stamped “not really about misconduct” or “minor misconduct handled by the supervisor.” Nevertheless, analysis of the discarded complaints showed serious allegations among them, including sexual assault and violation of authority.
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Although the KUOW article implies that citizen's complaints are being ignored, there is another way of looking at the report, and that is that two-thirds of the complaints filed against King County deputies are “not really about misconduct” or “minor misconduct handled by the supervisor.” 

This doesn't mean that there aren't problems within the King County Sheriff's Office, or within other departments in King County - earlier this month we saw Seattle Cops Flee the Force in 'Mass Exodus' Because of Politics. But, I would suggest that the majority of complaints about King County deputies are very likely minor incidents that can and should be handled at the supervisor level.

One of the most destructive things a department can do is to let investigations of misconduct drag on for months. This type of "witch hunt" can totally destroy morale within a department, creating a hostile environment where deputies and officers are afraid to do their jobs for fear of being subjected to unjust and unwarranted investigations.