Seattle mayor's budget proposal first to increase police department funds since 2020
By: Spencer Pauley (KPVI)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's first proposed budget since taking office would see the Seattle Police Department receive an increased budget for the first time since 2020.
The Seattle Police Department's budget would go from $355.5 million in 2022 to $375.7 million in 2023. The department's budget would increase another $10 million to $385.6 million in 2024 if adopted by the Seattle City Council.
Nearly half of Harrell's proposed $1.6 billion general fund would be dedicated to public safety.
Out of the $355.5 million that would fund the police department, the biggest chunk of spending would go to transferring parking enforcement duties from the Seattle Department of Transportation back to the Seattle Police Department. Approximately $20 million is being spent to transfer the parking enforcement duties.
The city notably dismissed all parking tickets issued between Sept. 1, 2021, through April 5, 2022 because the parking enforcement officers from the department of transportation did not have special police commissions at the time of issuance, according to the City of Seattle. That resulted in the city spending approximately $4.5 to 5 million to refund paid tickets.
"Having heard from our employees and their labor representatives, we understand that our [parking enforcement officers] feel better equipped to do their work from [the Seattle Police Department] at this time," Harrell said at a press conference Tuesday.
The police department has lost over 400 police officers in the last two and a half years, according to Harrell. The budget looks to continue funding Harrell's recruitment and retention plan to address the officer shortage. To sustain funding for recruiting professionals, improve branding and marketing materials and hiring bonuses for new and lateral officers, $4.2 million would be spent.
"We need to make every effort to bring officers here and reverse the staffing crisis that impacts everything we want to do with policing in Seattle," Harrell said.
Harrell is also proposing to cut funding for positions unlikely to be filled as his office continues to anticipate salary savings from officer attrition in 2023 and 2024. According to the proposed budget, 80 full-time officer positions are proposed to be unfunded for an $11 million reduction, as part of a larger measure to address the city's budget shortfall.
Salary savings from an additional 120 officer vacancies are also being proposed to be put back in the police department's budget. Those funds would be used for equipment and technology upgrades, strategies to improve recruitment and retention, internal training and supportive services and other community safety program enhancements, according to the proposed budget.
Lastly, to curb the average response times for calls deemed a non-emergency down from the current hour and 40 minutes, Harrell is proposing putting nearly $2 million toward programs to study and rethink 9-1-1 responses.
"We know that just sending a police officer is not always the right approach," Harrell said. "This is how we begin to build more options."
The Seattle City Council will begin reviewing the mayor's proposed budget. Councilmembers have until Dec. 2 to adopt a budget for the next fiscal year.
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Keep it civil. Keep it on topic.
I guess defunding the police wasn't a good idea after all.
When did they ever defund their police?
Doh!
Only to those who refuse to understand what "defunding the police" really means. From your own seeded story...
Sounds like they are cost saving to me. Also sounds like he ran on increasing spending on the police, but once in office, turned around and reduced its police budget.
Now the reality you fail to acknowledge is that the budget cuts (yes,k that is what DEFUNDING means) led to a shortage of police officers and now they are scrambling to bring the force back up.
Not in this context. But we both know that you will never look to see what is actually meant.
Well then, lets take a look:
Lol .....better look in the mirror
Oh Bless your heart. Can't back up your fiction so you resort to name calling. How very leftist of you.
Waiting for the lawsuit against the city the first time they send a social worker into a civil dispute that turns violent.
Don't bring a clipboard to a gunfight.
Lol .... hilarious!
So many slow puppies in those liberal litters ......