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American Police Chiefs Plan For “Permacrisis” In Closed-Door Meeting

American Police Chiefs Plan For “Permacrisis” In Closed-Door Meeting

Last month, 63 of the nation's top police chiefs, sheriffs and executives, including the Chief of the U.S. Secret Service, quietly arrived in Cambridge Massachusetts for a closed door conference. “As social unrest deepens, political dynamics escalate, and trust in policing declines, many public safety organizations are

Top FBI Seattle Leadership Requested Seattle Police DUI Report

Top FBI Seattle Leadership Requested Seattle Police DUI Report

A top Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent in Seattle personally made a request to the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for records related to an SPD DUI arrest. FBI Seattle Division Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC) Karen Valaas made the request in December 2025, according to SPD interagency request

Archives: FBI Says PNW's Liberal "Philosophy" Helps Terrorists

Archives: FBI Says PNW's Liberal "Philosophy" Helps Terrorists

HardPressed has reviewed a 45-page unclassified Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report that reveals new information concerning FBI operations and viewpoints in Washington State. The 2003 report, obtained from the Washington State Archives, was produced by the FBI Seattle Division and is titled “Washington State Threat Assessment Terrorism.” One cryptic

Seattle PD Refuses Release Of Secret CCTV Footage

Seattle PD Refuses Release Of Secret CCTV Footage

In February, HardPressed revealed that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has been using a secret-no-more CCTV camera on Capitol Hill. The camera was perfectly positioned to livestream and record one of the most volatile, expressive, joyous, and controversial moments in Seattle history, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), also known

What Was FBI Agent Fred Gutt Doing On June 1 2020?

What Was FBI Agent Fred Gutt Doing On June 1 2020?

For six years I've hammered public records requests, filed lawsuits, and submitted FOIAs, slowly chipping away at a fortress of information closely held by the feds and local police. Each piece of information filling in a mosaic of the 2020 protests. Some portions are lucid, others remain fractured

Seattle PD Proposed Takeover Of 9 City Agencies

Seattle PD Proposed Takeover Of 9 City Agencies

In June 2024, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's cabinet received a proposal from the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to implement police operations across the city and to "assume day-to-day command over all City resources." The proposal, called Place Network Investigations (PNI), has never been revealed publicly and

Archives: Seattle Was One Of First Cities To Pilot FBI JTTF Program

Archives: Seattle Was One Of First Cities To Pilot FBI JTTF Program

HardPressed has started to process hundreds of documents from the Washington State Archives, digitized and published here for the first time. A November 2002 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document shows that the Pacific Northwest (PNW) was significantly overrepresented nationally at the initial implementation of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task

FBI Seattle MOU Details Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) Procedures

FBI Seattle MOU Details Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) Procedures

HardPressed has obtained the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in effect between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) concerning the operation of the FBI Seattle Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF). The remit of the SSTF is wide-reaching. According to the MOU,

Archives: Washington State Governors Met Israeli Officials In Secret

Archives: Washington State Governors Met Israeli Officials In Secret

HardPressed has found that Washington State Governors Gary Locke, Christine Gregoire and Jay Inslee have all had private meetings with Israeli Consul Generals behind closed doors. None of these meetings have been previously reported. The details of these meetings were found within an ongoing HardPressed search through thousands of file

In Photos: Gaza This Month

In Photos: Gaza This Month

Palestinians risk death every day to provide information to the world. Recognizing this, HardPressed has purchased publication rights from Palestinian photojournalists in Gaza through the Activestills collective and will periodically publish a direct series from Gaza called In Photos. These conditions are enforced by the U.S. and Israeli government.

Bruce Harrell Gets Do-Over On Ethics Filing

Bruce Harrell Gets Do-Over On Ethics Filing

Last month, HardPressed reported that former Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, his wife, and other Seattle officials traveled to New Orleans to attend a Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) conference. As part of their pitch, CAM offered to pay for Harrell's travel, including flights, hotel and ground transportation. Seattle Ethics

‘Egregious’ And ‘Reckless’: California Parole Board Denies Hearing Based On ‘Potential False Positive’ Drug Test Results

‘Egregious’ And ‘Reckless’: California Parole Board Denies Hearing Based On ‘Potential False Positive’ Drug Test Results

Over the past few months, I've been tirelessly working on an investigative report from behind bars in California. Advocates say the state is weaponizing people's own personal health care choices against them, cherry picking details from medical records, and using it as the sole justification to

Washington State Fusion Center Can Use Covert Social Media Aliases, Says It's Not

Washington State Fusion Center Can Use Covert Social Media Aliases, Says It's Not

Last month HardPressed obtained a document outlining the protocols for the covert use of social media by the Washington State Fusion Center (WSFC). The Social Media Policy states that the WSFC can conduct social network analysis, social media monitoring, use covert online aliases and conduct online undercover activity. While sworn

FBI Counterterrorism Squad Requested Info On Seattle Parks Event Permit And Applicants

FBI Counterterrorism Squad Requested Info On Seattle Parks Event Permit And Applicants

A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) counterterrorism squad requested information on the permit of a May 2025 right-wing event in Seattle. The rally, situated in the heart of Seattle's Capitol Hill gayborhood, was organized by Mayday USA, which KUOW described as a "Christian fundamentalist group advocating against

501(c)(3) Aims To Create "Consequences For Antisemitic Conduct"

501(c)(3) Aims To Create "Consequences For Antisemitic Conduct"

"All we can do is use our free speech to attack those expressing antisemitism," wrote one of the leaders of the Israel Justice Organization, who also threatened to sue after I reached out for comment. My latest report for Prism debuts a new Florida 501(c)(3) entity

Bruce Harrell's Wife & Staff Traveled To New Orleans CAM Summit

Bruce Harrell's Wife & Staff Traveled To New Orleans CAM Summit

New documents obtained by HardPressed provide more details of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s trip to a Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) summit in New Orleans in December 2025. The records include correspondence between CAM’s team and the Mayor’s office, presentation materials, videos, photographs and a conference program. The

FBI Self-Manufactured A ‘Threat To Life’ During 2020 Seattle Protests

FBI Self-Manufactured A ‘Threat To Life’ During 2020 Seattle Protests

Buy a copy of Real Change this week if you're in Seattle. You can also find my latest report online: https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2026/03/04/fbi-self-manufactured-threat-life-during-2020-seattle-protests-justifying-potential-use This reporting takes years to unravel, and there is a lot more to do. If you find value in

Seattle PD Planning Drone As First Responder Operations

Seattle PD Planning Drone As First Responder Operations

According to a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) document, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is planning to implement a drone as first responder (DFR) surveillance system in Seattle. The CONOPS document was drafted by drone company Skydio and is intended to support a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver request which would

Seattle PD Assisted ICE As They Worked to Deport College Student

Seattle PD Assisted ICE As They Worked to Deport College Student

In the spring of 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received a notification from the State Department that a college student’s visa had been revoked based on her criminal record. But the student, who HardPressed has given the pseudonym Kaitlyn for safety reasons, had no criminal record. She’d

Seattle PD Takes Major Step To Implement Drone Surveillance

Seattle PD Takes Major Step To Implement Drone Surveillance

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has quietly taken a major new step to implement drone surveillance in Seattle. In November 2024, HardPressed published details of SPD's expansive plans for drone surveillance across the city. New documents obtained by HardPressed show that SPD signed a $20,000 contract with

Seattle PD Operating Secret CCTV Camera

Seattle PD Operating Secret CCTV Camera

For roughly a decade, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has operated a secret-no-more surveillance camera on Capitol Hill trained to view the intersection of 12th Ave and Pine Street in front of SPD's East Precinct. It is perched atop the 12th Ave Arts building owned by Community Roots

Washington State Fusion Center Shares Intelligence Products With ICE & CBP

Washington State Fusion Center Shares Intelligence Products With ICE & CBP

After an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Good last month, a voice on the agent's own video recording called Good a "fucking bitch." Weeks later, two Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, where video captured a

Seattle Police Advance Private Economic Interests, Dub Themselves “Marauders”

Seattle Police Advance Private Economic Interests, Dub Themselves “Marauders”

For years, a 501(c)(6) downtown business improvement area corporation in Seattle has used the Seattle Police Department (SPD) as a contractor to advance their own private economic objectives. Last month, the Washington State Supreme Court said that the public should be able to request records from that 501(

FBI Operated Domestic Terrorism Investigation Within CHAZ/CHOP In 2020 Prior To Shootings

FBI Operated Domestic Terrorism Investigation Within CHAZ/CHOP In 2020 Prior To Shootings

New details concerning the use of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Seattle Police Department (SPD) informants have been revealed as part of an internal accountability investigation at SPD. They show that the FBI was engaged in a “domestic terrorism” investigation within the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), also known

FBI Seattle Contracts Detail Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Procedures

FBI Seattle Contracts Detail Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Procedures

Across the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) are the tip of the spear in executing President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7). JTTFs integrate federal agents from a range of entities including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of