Meet Our Staff

Leadership

Gino Betts, Director

Gino Betts leads the work of OPA by overseeing the intake, classification, and investigation of complaints, certifying investigative findings, suggesting modifications to Seattle Police Department policies, and making recommendations on discipline to the Chief of Police.

Gino is a highly experienced and committed career public servant. Before coming to OPA, he served as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney where he led the Southside Community Justice Center. He previously worked at the Chicago Office of Police Accountability and the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Gino studied International and Comparative Constitutional Law in Cape Town, South Africa. He also teaches legal writing at DePaul University and trial advocacy at University of Illinois at Chicago. Outside of work, Gino has served on several nonprofit boards, including those focused on community engagement, public safety, and diversifying the legal field.

Nelson Leese, General Counsel

Nelson coordinates and directs the investigative work conducted by OPA. He is responsible for directly supervising two non-sworn Investigations Managers, each of whom leads a team of sworn and non‑sworn investigators. Nelson also manages the Office’s legal matters in coordination with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and the Seattle Police Department’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Nelson is a seasoned municipal attorney with a background in federal civil rights litigation and juvenile delinquency prosecution.  Nelson joined OPA from the New York City Law Department where he served in both the Special Federal Litigation and Family Court Divisions. As a Senior Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division, Nelson represented the City of New York and individual officers in federal civil rights lawsuits.  As an Assistant Corporation Counsel in Brooklyn Family Court, Nelson prosecuted felony and misdemeanor juvenile delinquency cases.

Nelson is a 2013 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.  From 2015 to 2017, Nelson served as a law clerk to the Hon. Arthur I. Harris at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Katie Wieliczkiewicz, Assistant Director of Operations & Training

Katie coordinates the administrative and training work conducted by OPA. She is responsible for directly supervising the administrative staff, policy and data staff, project manager and the community engagement team for OPA, all civilian positions. In addition, Katie supports the training and professional development initiatives for all OPA team members.

Katie joined OPA in 2019 after working in higher education for 7 years overseeing residential and campus life at two different universities. She brings with her experience as a former department head as well as serving as an adjunct professor at the undergraduate and graduate level for leadership studies.

Katie is a 2012 graduate of Seattle University (BA & BPA) and a 2015 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica (MBA).

Civilian Staff

OPA has 18 additional civilian staff members who conduct a variety of functions, including administrative tasks, community engagement, policy and data analysis, operational management, and investigations.

Sworn Staff

OPA has nine SPD sergeants on staff who conduct administrative misconduct investigations. They generally serve at OPA for a few years before rotating to a different SPD assignment.