In Seattle, 246 police officers quit their positions in the previous year, 180 in the previous year, and 66 so far this year.
That is a disaster.
Democrats, on the other hand, prefer to demonize cops and favor criminals over law enforcement.
According to police data, more than 180 police officers left their jobs last year, and another 66 officers have left their jobs so far this year, putting the force in a “staffing crisis.”
Diaz told KING-TV, “We are at record lows in the city right now. I have about 1,080 deployable officers. This is the lowest I’ve seen our department.”
Exit interviews with retiring officers showed that some retired early, while others went to work for police agencies in other cities or in the private sector.
Following national demonstrations over police brutality and excessive use of force against people of color, activists praised the cuts and called for further cuts to the city police department.
The office of Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement, “Despite an increased focus on recruitment and retention, the Seattle Police Department continues to lose sworn officers at a record pace due to ongoing budget uncertainty,” “Based on exit interviews, we know the Council’s threats of continued layoffs or cuts are having a direct impact on decisions to leave the department.”
The City Council is considering slashing the police department’s budget by $5.4 million. However, Durkan warns against more cuts without discussing officer recruiting and retention.
The council has completely approved the police department’s hiring strategy for 2021, including funding to recruit 114 non-sworn employees who work to resolve public safety concerns, according to Councilmember Lisa Herbold, chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee.
Herbold said she has introduced legislation to help the investments, as well as others sought by the department, the city auditor, and the city inspector general.
Herbold said, “The reductions being considered are from salary savings from officers leaving and do not reduce the number of officers SPD can hire.”
Diaz said the police department is recruiting more community service and crime reduction officers to answer non-criminal calls, but he is worried about the loss of more front-line officers.
“I’m hoping that it starts to level off,” “I do see that this year we could have a significant amount of people leaving.” Diaz stated.
Source: KING-TV, thegatewaypundit.com, apnews.com
can’t blame them for leaving…you couldn’t PAY me to be a police officer now, why anyone would want to become a police officer these days is beyond me…I can’t wait for this to blow up in your face, filthy, corrupt dems
I have no plans to visit Seattle, ever.
Cops are just leaving, because of budget cuts. The city council and mayor have allowed the peaceful protest riots to continue and not prosecute the criminals. The city makes sure create never held responsible for their violent acts, because their acts of rioting are peaceful. Cops are made the enemy of the city by the left and the mayor allows this madness to continue.
Now, the city is beginning to reap what it has sewn. Wait until the summer and start watching the cops just let rioters do what they want. There’s no need to try and stop them. Instead of removing the city council and mayor; this will continue until they have destroyed the city.