The remark was captured on body-worn camera video during a rally by the Christian pro-life group Mayday USA and a counterprotest. Police said people in one group threw items at the other as officers worked to keep them apart. The clashes led to 23 arrests.

The Office of Police Accountability investigated after Capitol Hill Pride filed a complaint about the department’s handling of the event. Sayles said the investigation found the lieutenant’s conduct warranted discipline. The lieutenant had a minor prior disciplinary history, and Sayles said his written reprimand fell within the range recommended by the accountability office.

“The language he used … did not reflect the standards I expect of any Seattle police officer, and certainly not of a supervisor,” Sayles said in a statement. “Words spoken before officers enter a crowd shape how that crowd is policed.”

The rally drew heightened concern because Cal Anderson Park is in the heart of Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community. Sayles also acknowledged findings from an Office of Inspector General review that the department had not understood the depth of concern in the community before the event and that police actions that day damaged trust.

Sayles said the department would act on the review’s recommendations, strengthen crowd-management practices, expand the work of its LGBTQ+ liaison and advisory council, and engage with community organizations before events that affect them. He said disciplining one officer does not resolve the broader concerns raised by the review.