Seattle police faked radio chatter about Proud Boys during 2020 racial justice protests – watchdog

Investigation finds police used an improper ruse' and exacerbated an already volatile situation, but consequences are unlikely

Seattle police exchanged detailed fake radio transmissions about a nonexistent group of menacing right-wing extremists at a crucial moment during the 2020 racial justice protests, an investigation by the city's police watchdog group shows.

The radio chatter about members of the Proud Boys marching around downtown Seattle, some possibly carrying guns and then heading to confront protesters on Capitol Hill was an improper ruse", or dishonest ploy, that exacerbated a volatile situation, the Seattle Times reported. That's according to findings released Wednesday by the city's Office of Police Accountability (OPA).