Mike O’Dell and Sara Goff contributed to this report

On the morning of December 28, 2014, at about 4 AM, Seattle police officer Daniel Erickson responded to a call from Swedish hospital on First Hill. It was still dark outside, the air, chilly.

Mental health patient Wendlyn Phillips, 57 years old at the time, was reported to have kicked at the medical staff and was now lying in the driveway.

Erickson would need to draw on his 40 hours of federally-mandated crisis intervention training — training specially designed to help him handle erratic individuals who might be suffering from addiction or mental illness without hurting them.

But Phillips was hurt in the encounter, her face bruised and bloodied. She was accused of assaulting the officer and charged.

Documents obtained through public records requests show how the investigation of what happened two years ago on First Hill was handled using new SPD systems. They offer a window into Department of Justice-driven reforms: The use of the Force Investigation Team (FIT) and Force Review Board (FRB) — two teams of officers and commanders who operate behind closed doors — to review controversial incidents like this one and hold officers accountable.

Erickson arrived on the scene in his patrol SUV. The video comes from his dashcam and the hospital’s surveillance camera. It contains disturbing scenes. Continue reading →