Seattle, WA

Seattle city official hit with staff 'whistleblower' complaints

Published

1 year ago

October 22, 2024

Seattle city official hit with staff 'whistleblower' complaints

The embattled director of the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) faces a slew of whistleblower complaints, according to multiple sources. Now, rumors are swirling that Gino Betts is being managed out of the position.

“At least seven different civilian OPA employees in the small department have filed HR complaints against Director Betts for workplace misconduct,” the email complaint states. “Betts manages with fear and intimidation and has created a toxic work environment. OPA employees respect the chain of command and have been trying to fix this internally for over a year and a half. Betts knows what he is doing is wrong because he only lashes out at non-union employees who he knows cannot fight back for fear of being fired.”

OPA staff, who refer to themselves as whistleblowers, sent their complaints via email to city council members, the Office of Inspector General and other city officials. They complain of Betts’ mistreatment of staff, acting unprofessional and creating a hostile work environment. The whistleblowers say, “The majority of OPA staff have lost confidence in Betts” due to his alleged conduct.

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What are complaints against OPA Director Gino Betts about?

The complaint makes a number of serious allegations against Gino Betts. They center on alleged mistreatment of staff and an effort to cover up certain investigations for political gain. “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH obtained the email from the person who claimed to be one of the whistleblowers. The email was independently verified.

“Betts bullies and belittles staff he believes are weak or who have different points of view,” the complaint email alleged. “He turns what should be calm collaborative discussions into stressful adversarial arguments he must win at all costs. Employees fear interacting with him and this impacts work.”

The whistleblowers claim that Betts “has driven out many valued employees” and that he’s known to retaliate “against women filing complaints against him.”

“Betts orally reprimanded a new mother for using all of her Family Medical Leave time after giving birth,” the whistleblowers claim. “The mother’s FMLA was legitimate-Betts just thought she should not have used all of it as it inconvenienced the office. This was during the new mother’s yearly performance review. The mother received half the vacation merit days as her peers. Isn’t this illegal?”

The email continues, alleging Betts “taunts, humiliates and laughs at subordinates he perceives as disagreeing with him,” “ices out people he disfavors,” has a “tyrannical attitude” that leads to “sloppy procedural mistakes on his part that will eventually cost the city in settlement money when terminated officers sue,” and ” micromanages to an unreasonable and destructive degree.”

The whistleblowers also make a number of allegations that Betts is purposefully burying “credible” complaints made against former police chief Adrian Diaz.

“Betts ordered staff on at least three occasions to ignore the serious cases and instead focus on easy to close out contact logs — clearly frivolous cases that would exonerate the Chief with no investigation and little work,” they claim.

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What is the city saying about the allegations?

Gino Betts did not respond to a request for comment. Emails to his city account were met with an out-of-office reply, indicating he will be out until November 4. OPA did not explain why he is out of the office or when he took time off, when asked by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Early last week, rumors began to spread that Betts was on his way out. While Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office will not confirm or deny any of the allegations or knowledge of the complaints, a spokesperson denied rumors that Betts was placed on administrative leave. In a follow-up email, the mayor’s spokesperson ignored most questions but did say Betts’ employment status has not changed.

Multiple sources said Betts was a no-show at the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement conference in Tucson earlier this month, despite being scheduled to attend. But neither the mayor’s office nor OPA will answer specific questions about this.

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Gino Betts has been a controversial figure

The OPA Director has been the subject of numerous criticisms from Seattle Police officers. They believe he lacks impartiality, a claim highlighted by his handling of a recent high-profile case.

Betts most recently was subject to criticism for the Dan Auderer case, a now-former Seattle cop who joked about how city attorneys would respond to the death of graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula. She ran across a crosswalk as an officer was driving to an overdose emergency. She appeared to have misjudged the officer’s speed and was hit and killed. The officer was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in her death. Auderer had been called to test the officer for impairment, which is procedure, but knew little about the victim. He made the joke privately in his patrol vehicle, while on a call. It was accidentally recorded on his body camera, leading to a complaint about unprofessionalism.

Emails and a video recording obtained by “The Jason Rantz Show” show Betts found Auderer guilty before the investigation concluded. Though Betts acknowledged he did not have evidence that Auderer committed bias policing when making his joke about city lawyers, the director recommended the cop be terminated for bias policing against the victim over the joke.

“So we brought a bias allegation against him (Auderer) that we’re not going to sustain because we can’t prove that he was biased when he made the comments. That he knew her race or he knew any personal identifying information about her. But, I do highly doubt that if this were an officer that was in her (Kandula’s) position, he wouldn’t be making these types of comments. So, I can’t say he was bias because of her race, or anything like that,” Betts admitted during a media training session on framing the OPA’s finding against Auderer, according to a recording obtained by “The Jason Rantz Show.”

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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Seattle, WA

Here’s why the Blue Angels in Seattle on Monday

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Here’s why the Blue Angels in Seattle on Monday

SEATTLE – Known for their high-flying skills above the skies during air shows, the Blue Angels will be in Seattle once again on Monday.

But with Seafair not until the summer, many are wondering why the Navy pilots are in the Emerald City ahead of schedule.

Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets are flying The Diamond Roll (four planes in formation), doing a 360-degree roll as one unit, flying at 400 mph over Lake Washington for the Seafair weekend in Seattle. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Keep reading to find out why the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are in Seattle on Jan. 12.

Why are the Blue Angels in Seattle now?

The Blue Angels returned to Seattle on Monday to begin preseason planning for the 2026 Boeing Seafair Air Show.

Pilots will assess airshow locations, scouting the skies and getting familiar with the landscape ahead of the Seafair Weekend Festival, when they perform in three separate air shows. Their visit brings the iconic Blue Angels F/A-18 Super Hornets to the city, the aircraft pilots use during the air show.

Blue Angels pilots plan to stay in Seattle until Tuesday, coordinating with Seafair event organizers. Last year, only two Blue Angels pilots were in Seattle for preseason planning, instead of the entire squadron.

When are the Blue Angels coming back to Seattle?

The Blue Angels will fly back to western Washington for the 2026 Boeing Seafair Air Show, on Friday, July 31 – Sunday, August 2, 2026.

They’ll also be in town for two practice runs on Thursday, July 30.

When is the 2026 Seafair Air Show?

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will perform in three air shows throughout Seafair weekend. They’re happening each afternoon on July 31 through Aug. 2 on Lake Washington and at Genesee Park.

The multi-day Seafair Weekend Festival also includes the Apollo Mechanical Cup Hydroplane Races, along with live entertainment, food and drinks, and family-friendly activities. Tickets for the festival go on sale in February.

Who are the Blue Angels?

The Blue Angels is a team of elite Navy flight demonstrators, showcasing their aviation skills in high-speed, precision aerobatic performances.

They perform in air shows across the U.S. each year, with the goal of inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country, displaying the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

Formed in 1946, this year marks the 80th year of the Blue Angels. They take pride in performing for audiences both at home and abroad, showcasing the excitement, precision, and power of Naval aviation.

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The Source: Information in this story came from U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Seafair, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026

No matter how the playoffs go for the Seatte Seahawks, general manager John Schneider and his team are looking at a very busy offseason ahead.

In addition to their usual preparations for the 2026 NFL draft, Seattle has a ton of important players who are about to become unrestricted free agents. That list includes special teams superstar Rashid Shaheed, running back Ken Walker and defensive standouts Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant.

It’s going to be really difficult to keep that entire group together, even with a lot of cap space projected to be open in 2026. The Seahawks may have to create room with some salary cap casualties after the season is over.

On that note, Over the Cap has listed a pair of Seattle players as potential cap casualties. Let’s review both of them.

OLB Uchenna Nwosu

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) dives for a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) in the second half at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Coming in at No. 46 on OTC’s list is veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, who has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit just over $20 million. Nwosu has been valuable when he’s on the field but he’s also missed a ton of time due to injuries and it will be difficult to justify his cap hit with so many other players to pay.

Seattle can save a little over $11.5 million if they cut Nwosu, before June 1 or after. However, they would also take on a dead money hit north of $8.5 million, which takes a lot of the flavor out of those cap savings.

In 45 games with the Seahawks, Nwosu has tallied 19.5 sacks, 52 QB hits, 24 tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles and eight pass breakups.

That’s a lot of good production across the board as an all-around defender, but he’ll turn 30 years old before next season is over and there are a lot of mouths to feed for Mike Macdonald’s defense.

Over the Cap projects there’s a 58.5% chance that the Seahawks will wind up cutting him. Our best guess is that will be the case, especially if they want to pursue someone like Maxx Crosby on the trade market.

K Jason Myers

Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks place kicker Jason Myers (5) kicks a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi’s Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The only other Seahawks player who made the list (at No. 77) was placekicker Jason Myers, where the team has an interesting choice to make.

Myers has been around since the 2019 season and he’s come through for them more often than not. In 117 games he’s converted 200 of 232 field goal attempts, coming out to 86.2%. On extra point attempts he’s gone 292/307 for 95.1%.

Those are very solid numbers for an NFL kicker, and when you have a solid option at this position you don’t mess with it.

Another factor working in Myers’ favor is that Seattle really can’t save all that much money by cutting him. According to OTC’s numbers the Seahawks would create $5.1 million in cap room by cutting him, with a dead money hit of $1,875,000.

Five million might get Seattle a decent backup for their interior offensive line, or another contributor to Mike Macdonald’s defense. It’s not enough to really move the needle for this roster, though.

OTC gives it a 52.5% chance that Myers will get cut, but we don’t see that happening. If they want to lower his cap hit, the Seahawks can create a little over $3 million for 2026 with an extension. That’s the only move they should be looking to make at this spot.

Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken

And while Dunn’s head coach insisted afterwards he doesn’t believe in “measuring stick games” the Kraken measured up fairly well in this one considering they played a pretty poor first period and needed half of the second frame to get any type of offense going against the league’s No. 2 defensive unit.

But they eventually got it going and the salvaged point, as Dunn mentioned, was huge in that it allowed the Kraken to remain in third place in the Pacific Division – just two points behind leaders Vegas and Edmonton – as they now embark on a five-city road trip. They extended their points streak to 10 games in the process, going 8-0-2 that stretch to transform a season hinging on the brink.

Mats Zuccarello got the overtime winner for Minnesota, converting a Kirill Kaprizov pass off a 2-on-1 break after the Kraken had been foiled just moments prior on their own odd-man rush. That foiled an outstanding night for Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, who’d made several huge stops in both overtime and the third period to keep things tied, as well as prior to that frame to give his team the shot at a comeback.

The Kraken had spent the past week filling opposition nets with pucks but waited until the final 17 minutes to score their first goal of this game. By that point, they’d been trailing 2-0 since a pair of 42-foot wrist shot goals by Ryan Hartman and Brock Faber in the first period silenced the home crowd.

“The first period was awful, and our execution was probably the biggest part of that,” Dunn said. “It’s just tough when you’re chasing the game a little bit to start the game. So, we kind of set ourselves up for the second period to come out and play the right way and I thought as the game went on, we got a lot better.

“And I thought it was a pretty competitive game both ways. A lot of chances both ways.”

Grubauer kept things close from there, stopping 31 of 34 shots on the night to give his team a chance to get back in it.

Adam Larsson then got the Kraken on the board three minutes into the final period with a slap shot goal from the right circle after Dunn had rung one off the post on a prior blast seconds earlier. And the Kraken weren’t done yet.

The Wild ran into penalty trouble not long after and the Kraken capitalized on the power play with Matty Beniers banging home a net front rebound off a Jared McCann shot that lifted the home side into a 2-2 tie and sent the Climate Pledge Arena crowd into a frenzy.

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