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TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2001

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske on Monday apologized for the conduct of Native American officer Jess Pitts, a three-year veteran of the force who is accused of making racially tinged comments during a recent incident.

The apology came at a meeting police held with a group of Asian-American youths who were stopped by Pitts last week for jaywalking. The youths said Pitts, who was not present at the meeting, stopped them because of their race and questioned if they spoke English and made comments about national origin.

Lawyers representing the 14 students want the police to disciplines Pitts and others involved. Pitts had called for help after the group did not cooperate, said a police spokesperson.

The attorneys are also planning to file a formal complaint about the incident today.

Get the Story:
Jaywalking stop of Asian American students draws ire (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/17)
Police chief apologizes over jaywalking 'bust' (The Seattle Times 7/17)

Related Stories:
Native officer implicated in racial profiling (7/16)