By Police1 Staff
SEATTLE — A man charged with killing a Seattle police officer is the first inmate at King County Jail to receive a television in his cell.
In 2009, Christopher Monfort opened fire on Officer Timothy Brenton and trainee Britt Sweeney, who were in a parked patrol car near Seattle, authorities said. Detectives arrested Monfort days later at an apartment complex, where he pointed a gun at officers and was shot in the face and abdomen.
According to jail staff, a medical condition resulting from the shootout requires separation from other inmates, which they said makes a TV necessary to combat loneliness.
“We were looking for ways to provide some type of interaction, some way of being involved with other human beings,” jail director Claudia Balducci told the Seattle Times.
Police have criticized the timing of the decision, which comes in the anniversary month of Brenton’s murder.
“This is just terrible,” Seattle Police Officers’ Guild President Rich O’Neill said. "(Monfort) is lonely and he needs a TV. Tim’s family is lonely.”
Monfort did not request the color TV, according to the report. . It is scheduled to be installed in the next few days.