Outside of WTO, Stamper said he hopes his legacy will be his advocacy of community policing, a concept some officers resisted and some community members have misunderstood. That kind of a term attached to policing or my leadership position is kind of evidence of lazy journalism. Community policing is very tough to pull off. . . . In Schell's three-paragraph letter accepting the chief's resignation, the mayor credited Stamper's community policing formula for plummeting crime rates. And he praised the chief's unwavering focus on improving the department's record of civil rights.
Crime is down.
Ours is the best domestic violence response police force in the country. Citizen complaints are down by two-thirds in your six years. You stood firm against racism, sexism, and homophobia. Human rights are stronger in our department and across our community because of you. Since he arrived in Seattle in February 1994 after having been executive assistant police chief for San Diego, Stamper has taken an active and visible role in Seattle's diverse neighborhoods.