Amy Radil
Reporter
About
Amy Radil is a reporter at KUOW covering politics, government, and law enforcement, along with the occasional arts story. She got her start at Minnesota Public Radio in Duluth, and freelanced for Marketplace and other programs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Amy grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from Williams College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Stories
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Government
King County sheriff finalists cite challenges in crime, recruitment, and community trust
King County's next sheriff will likely come from Texas or Georgia. Or it will be the person currently running the office. The three finalists to become King County’s next sheriff spoke at a virtual press conference Tuesday. They all cited recruitment, rising crime, and building community trust as some of their top priorities.
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Crime
SPD’s roving unit shifts focus from 'hotspots' to retail theft
In recent weeks Seattle police officers have increased their presence in public “hotspots” for local crime. This week those officers turned their attention to organized retail theft as well. SPD said on Thursday they made 49 shoplifting arrests, and 13 individuals were booked for various felony charges and outstanding warrants.
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Law & Courts
In King County’s new inquests, victims’ families see steps forward, police see 'overreach'
Attorneys for victims’ families welcome the changes in King County's new inquest process, while police call the structure unworkable and unfair.
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Law & Courts
Inquest jury finds Seattle police officers' deadly force 'justifiable' in Damarius Butts case
Inquest jurors delivered their findings Monday in the 2017 Seattle police shooting of Damarius Butts. All eight jurors called the officers’ use of deadly force in the encounter with Butts “justifiable.”
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Crime
Inslee signs law returning some powers to Washington police; opponents call it a rollback
Last May, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a series of new police accountability laws. This week, he signed another bill that supporters call a "clarification" of those laws. But opponents call it a "rollback."
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Crime
Seattle City Attorney has a new plan to arrest, intervene with 118 repeat offenders.
Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison calls it a “reset” in the city’s approach to repeat offenders. The High Utilizer Initiative will focus on people "engaged in a repeated criminal activity resulting in a disproportionate amount of crime in the city of Seattle.”
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Crime
Washington lawmakers create first-in-nation alerts for missing Indigenous people
Later this year, Washingtonians may start seeing alerts about missing Indigenous people on highway billboards, your cell phone, or local media. A bill to create a new public alert system for missing Indigenous people has passed both chambers of the state Legislature. It could soon be on its way to Governor Jay Inslee’s desk for his signature to make it official. The program in Washington would be the first of its kind nationwide.
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Arts & Life
Her death shocked Seattle's Ethiopian community. New novel revisits the trial to get her justice
A decade later, people who had contact with the case of Hana Alemu Williams can’t forget the heartbreaking details of her “homicide by abuse.” The writer David Guterson revisits her case in his latest novel.
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Crime
Violence and property crime are up in Seattle. Here's how officials plan to tackle it
Violent and property crime in Seattle rose in 2021, and local officials are trying to respond. Mayor Bruce Harrell said he’s directed police to focus on violence and disorder in "hotspots" like Little Saigon.
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Crime
Gun violence devastated her family. Now she's working with Seattle to end it
DeVitta Briscoe is Seattle’s first-ever liaison for gun violence prevention. For her, the issue and the losses are personal. Her new job in the mayor’s office marks a transition from community advocate to city official.