Target Corp. working to legitimize police, led by Seattle PD's federal monitor

Target Corp. working to legitimize police, led by Seattle PD's federal monitor
Image: HardPressed

As the U.S. enters Trump's second reign in 2025, he promises to use sweeping executive powers to displace and deport community members across the country. In numerous cases, Trump has called for jailing journalists, violently displacing the poor and unhoused from downtown business districts, and cracking down on basically anyone deemed a political enemy.

Those who resist these efforts will likely come face to face with police.

Trump has called for "one really violent day" of policing. On January 6, 2021, Seattle PD had the largest contingent of police officers from any city in the country attend the capitol insurrection.

While accountability for Seattle police violence from decades ago is still lacking (see Roger Wright's continued call for justice) and the Seattle PD is taking monumental steps to suppress knowledge, Seattle's Federal Monitor is quietly moonlighting on a side gig to legitimize police.

My latest report with Prism highlights a shadowy new effort being financed under Biden's U.S. Department of Justice and run by Seattle PD's Federal court Monitor Antonio Oftelie.

I previously covered how SPD executives hand-picked Oftelie to be Monitor. Think of this new story with Prism as Part 2 in a series of reports peeling back some of the layers of Seattle's consent decree. There is a LOT more to come.

Read my latest investigative report for Prism, published today:

A man overseeing Seattle police is working with Target on police ‘legitimacy’
Federal monitor Antonio Oftelie sought input from police, but with no clear evidence of community input, the plan’s motivations are hazy

For those who want a little extra, I'll share a few things that did not make it to print.

Documents we obtained through public record requests show two drafts of Target/Oftelie's plan in evolution. One created prior to Oftelie's 2024 public safety summit at Harvard and one created after.

You can see the earliest version of the plan below which includes a long preamble beginning with Plato.

Image: HardPressed

Back to Target.

For decades, Target has been amassing a powerful international surveillance apparatus. This comes through in records I obtained from 2010:

Screenshot synopsis of Target Corp capabilities from 2010 - obtained through public record request.

Target has even shopped their services directly to police departments across the country:

Interested in how Seattle PD is coordinating with Target?

Seattle PD just shut down my request for these exact records.