The Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) has extended its deadline to April 23 in seeking at least two non-law enforcement applicants to represent the public on the Independent Force Investigation Team-King County (IFIT-KC).

The MIPD is working with its regional partners to establish the IFIT-KC, which is tasked with reviewing instances of police use-of-force in Mercer Island and neighboring jurisdictions.

The goal of having members of the public serve on the review board is to enhance accountability and increase transparency and trust between law enforcement and the community. To read more background or download an application, visit https://www.mercerisland.gov/IFIT-KC. The terms are two years for the unpaid position.

At the Mercer Island City Council meeting on March 2, council voted 7-0 to authorize City Manager Jessi Bon to sign the interlocal agreement between regional law enforcement agencies to form the King County investigation team.

During the meeting, Mercer Island Police Chief Ed Holmes reviewed the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act (LETCSA) requiring that all applications of deadly force by police resulting in death, substantial bodily harm, or great bodily harm be investigated by an independent team of investigators, with no involvement from the involved agency. Holmes noted that his department plans to assign one detective to the investigation team.