The Seattle Police Department is violating the public records law by imposing unnecessary delays on anyone who files more than one request, a King County Superior Court judge ruled Monday.
Judge Sandra Widlan ruled the police department must stop the practice, which has caused yearslong waits for releasing public information to Seattle Times reporters.
The Times sued the city in January 2025, accusing it of failing to abide by an earlier settlement that limited the police department’s batching” or “grouping” requests for public records from a single person…