The Seattle City Council on Aug. 16 approved legislation (Council Bill 120389) from Mayor Bruce Harrell to boost efforts to recruit and retain Seattle Police officers. The final vote was 6-3 with Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Kshama Sawant, and Tammy Morales opposed.
The legislation releases existing Seattle police salary savings to be redirected to:
- Moving expenses for new police hires
- An advertising campaign to assist in recruitment
- Bonuses for lateral transfers of up to $30,000 and bonuses up to $7,500 for new recruits
- Creating four new positions (a recruiting manager, two recruiters, and an additional staff person to help with the Seattle Metro Chamberistration of police and fire exams)
“At the Chamber, we know public safety is on the minds of our members and their employees – many of whom are Seattle voters – so we are glad to see City leaders taking decisive action,” said Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the Seattle Metro Chamber. “This is but one of many urgent steps we need to keep our community safe and healthy, but one we believe will have a long-term positive impact on the city we all call home.”
The Chamber continues to support an all-of-the-above approach to public safety that includes the right amount of funding and the right number of police officers, alongside anti-racist culture and performance reforms, and diversified emergency response options.
While additional action to diversify our crisis response options and additional reforms are still needed, this legislation is an important step to ensure the Seattle Police Department has the proper tools to hiring the right number of officers.
You can learn more about the Mayor’s Seattle Police Department recruitment and retention plan here.
