The city of Seattle will pay $750,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by longtime Seattle police Detective Denise “Cookie” Bouldin, who alleged she endured decades of racial and gender discrimination within the department after joining as one of the first Black women to serve in SPD in 1979.
The agreement, finalized Feb. 26, resolves Bouldin’s claims without any admission of wrongdoing by the city. Bouldin, a commissioned officer since 1979 and a well-known community liaison in South Seattle, agreed to dismiss her lawsuit with prejudice in exchange for the payment, which is classified as non-economic compensation.
The settlement requires the city to pay the funds within 30 days of the agreement’s effective date, and Bouldin waives the right to pursue further legal claims tied to her employment, including discrimination claims under federal and state law. City officials denied wrongdoing in the agreement, which states the payment is a compromise of disputed claims.
Bouldin filed a complaint in King County Superior Court after previously submitting a tort claim seeking $10 million in damages, alleging she endured a hostile work environment and discrimination throughout her more than four decades with the Seattle Police Department. In that claim and subsequent lawsuit, Bouldin said she faced repeated racial and gender bias, retaliation, and exclusion by fellow officers and supervisors. She alleged incidents ranging from being denied backup on calls to experiencing racist behavior in the workplace.
In the initial tort claim, Bouldin mentioned instances where an officer or supervisor scratched out the name of a suspect on a wanted bulletin and replaced it with the name of another Black Seattle police officer. Another photo included in the claim showed signs featuring a heavily armed man holding a cup of coffee that read “Some people require inspirational quotes to start their day. Me: Caffeine & hate.”
“In recent years, it has gotten far worse. The reality is that the SPD and many of its officers challenge African American female officers specifically in relation to whether or not their blood is blue enough. They challenge them in such a way that they develop adversarial relationships with officers of color, specifically Black officers,” Bouldin’s attorney said after the claim was filed.
Bouldin, one of the first Black women to serve in the department, is widely known in Seattle for her community outreach, including founding a chess program for youth in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. The settlement agreement notes that earlier concerns raised by Bouldin were investigated by the city and found to be unsubstantiated, though the lawsuit proceeded.
Under the terms, both sides agreed to fully resolve all employment-related disputes up to the date of the agreement, and each party will bear its own attorney fees, except as otherwise specified. The agreement also bars Bouldin from filing future claims related to the allegations and includes standard provisions regarding confidentiality, taxes, and enforcement.
City Attorney Erika Evans issued a statement: “Det. Bouldin is a pioneer at the Seattle Police Department who has been a beloved and deeply trusted presence in our community for decades. The City is thankful this case was able to resolve.”
The settlement closes a legal challenge that highlighted allegations of persistent discrimination within SPD against Black female officers, even as the department has worked publicly to improve diversity and inclusion following federal consent decree reforms.
