Seattle police officer put on leave over sexist, racist slurs against Chinese-American neighbour
- In an audio clip published by a newspaper, Burton Hill reportedly hurled insults at his neighbour during an argument in their condominium complex last year
- Seattle police chief Adrian Diaz said he has directed staff to review Hill’s arrest and investigation history
A Seattle police officer has been placed on administrative leave after Seattle police chief Adrian Diaz said on Friday he listened to an audio recording including comments by the officer that led to the filing of a bias/hate complaint.
“As I have said from the beginning of my tenure as chief of police, racist comments and behaviour by department employees will not be tolerated,” Diaz’s statement said.
The statement comes after a story on Friday in the The Stranger newspaper with audio of Seattle police officer Burton Hill calling his Chinese-American neighbour racist and sexists slurs during an argument in their suburban Seattle condominium complex in 2022. Hill was off duty at the time.
In the audio clip, apparently recorded by the neighbour after Hill knocked on her door at their Kenmore condominium complex, the officer uses derogatory terms for women and Asian people, repeatedly calling the woman “dumb” and “stupid.”
A Chinese social services organisation filed the complaint recently with the city’s Office of Police Accountability (OPA), The Stranger reported.
Associated Press has sent an email to Hill seeking comment.
