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Joshua Seiden, a former Douglas County assistant district attorney, said he knew his application to Lawrence’s Community Police Review Board was likely to cause controversy.
The board’s job is to review complaints against Lawrence police officers. Lawrence city councilors passed an ordinance in May expanding the CPRB’s duties, but the revamped version of the board has not yet begun meetings.
Seiden left the DA’s office in June after disguising himself as anti-mask activist and frequent public commentator Justin Spiehs, which Seiden later described as his attempt to “meet hate with humor.” (Read more about that in this article.)
Seiden and six other applicants ran for seats on various city advisory panels and were nominated by at least one Lawrence city councilor, but their names were removed between the release of the agenda for the commission meeting on Aug. 2 and the meeting itself on Aug. 6.
Most of those applicants, including Seiden, have been reinstated and are expected to be considered at the Commission’s meeting on Tuesday, August 13. (See this article for more information.)
Seiden said he could not remember how he learned before the commission meeting that he had been removed from the nomination list, but he went to the meeting on Tuesday to speak in case one of the commission members decided to re-nominate him.
“I applied because I believe I’m someone who can get this board up and running,” Seiden told CPRB commissioners. “I can have those difficult conversations. We’ve created and articulated policy that works; that’s what I would do here for the city. If you’ve made mistakes, what better way to make amends with the community than to serve that community? I’m here. I’m part of that community. I’m not going anywhere.”
Seiden pointed to the Brady-Giglio policy, which he and Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez introduced in 2021, which led to some pushback from law enforcement. Put simply, the policy addresses officer misconduct and how that information is handled in criminal cases. Defendants have a right to a fair trial, and officer misconduct can play a role in that. (Read more in the coverage and information at this link.)
Seiden said in a phone call Thursday after being reinstated on the list of appointments the commission will review on Tuesday that he has worked closely with LPD leadership to ensure the department complies with policies.
“Within the police department, there is the Office of the Chief, the Office of Professional Accountability and the Lawrence Police Officers Association,” police union Seiden said. They all perform different functions and play a key role in the matters the CPRB will address, he said.
Spiehs filed a complaint with the disciplinary office against Seiden and Valdez because Seiden had disguised himself as him.
Spiehs’ complaint states: “Instead of recognizing how unprofessional, mean-spirited and inappropriate this all was, the surveillance video shows Ms. Valdez joining in, encouraging and condoning Mr. Seiden’s public mockery of me by laughing and pointing at Mr. Seiden as he struts through the entrance of the courthouse, impersonating me and taunting me.”
The public prosecutor’s office had previously prosecuted Spiehs “and also refused to prosecute persons who committed crimes against me,” he wrote in the complaint.
Spiehs also spoke to councillors during their meeting on Tuesday and asked them to put themselves in his shoes. He asked them how they would react if someone dressed up as one of them and whether they would still nominate that person for the CPRB.
Seiden said that when he received Spiehs’ complaint, he had already reported it to the ODA himself.
He said during his time as a solo attorney and then as an assistant district attorney, there were probably “about 10 to 12 complaints” filed against him and he did not believe Spiehs’ complaint would affect his ability to do his job.
“I have never received any disciplinary action. Anyone can file a complaint against anyone, and that’s easy – it’s kind of an occupational hazard,” he said. “… Obviously, I maneuvered myself right into this situation.”
As a member of the CPRB, Seiden said he would recuse himself from examining a complaint if he felt he could not be fair and impartial.
Seiden is back in private practice as a criminal defense attorney. Before spending the last three and a half years as a district attorney under Valdez, Seiden worked as a criminal defense attorney, primarily taking on court-appointed cases in Douglas County.
He said that the city commission needs people on its committees who can support them in their work. Due to his experience and qualifications, he is ideally suited for the job, he said.
“If the optics are more important to us than the substance, I can certainly understand that. I hope that we focus on the substance, because that is how we make progress on these difficult issues,” Seiden said.
Candidates approved to serve on the CPRB so far include Caleb Stephens, Patricia Dahl and Michael Machell for three-year terms and Kristin Fisher for a two-year term.
Seiden was previously on the appointment list for a two-year term, but was placed back on the recommended list for a one-year term.
Douglass Miller was nominated for a two-year term and Adam Kellogg was nominated for a one-year term. The Commission will vote on these appointments during its meeting on Tuesday, August 13.
Valdez lost the August 6 primary, finishing third among three candidates. Democrat Dakota Loomis will face Republican Mike Warner in the November 5 general election.
The Lawrence City Commission will meet on Tuesday, August 13, at 5:45 p.m. at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. The full meeting agenda can be found at this link.
The meetings are open to the public and will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@lawrenceksvideo.
The Commission will accept written public comments by email to [email protected] until noon on the day of the meeting. The Commission also hears public comments in person during meetings and via Zoom. Register for Tuesday’s Zoom meeting at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about her work for The Times here. Read her staff bio here.
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