May 21, 2021 at 9:27 am
Seattle police were out in force during a rally called United Against Hate hosted by right wing group, the Washington State Three Percent (3%), at City Hall Plaza on Jan. 5, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
Over the last few months, we’ve seen dramatic testimony from Seattle police officers voluntarily leaving over a movement to defund the department, lobbing criticism at a city they say doesn’t fully appreciate them. But it doesn’t take much effort to see that SPD’s so-called “staffing crisis” is self-inflicted.
Let’s first look back on the last couple years of officers leaving SPD. The idea that the “defund” movement is only now driving out good, well-meaning cops is something of a misnomer, given that complaints from officers about not being appreciated by the city’s leaders and residents date back years.
City, business leaders call loss of nearly 200 Seattle Police Department officers a crisis
Nearly 200 police officers have left the department in a little over a year and response times to calls for help have increased. Author: Chris Daniels Updated: 7:42 AM PDT March 16, 2021
SEATTLE Seattle s Police Department is in a staffing crisis. That s according to the police chief, a deputy mayor, and a downtown business organization, who are all pleading with the council to avoid further reductions to the department. It s municipal malpractice, the way that our city council has addressed public safety over these last six months, Downtown Seattle Association President Jon Scholes said.
City, business leaders call loss of nearly 200 Seattle Police Department officers a crisis
Nearly 200 police officers have left the department in a little over a year and response times to calls for help have increased. Author: Chris Daniels Updated: 7:42 AM PDT March 16, 2021
SEATTLE Seattle s Police Department is in a staffing crisis. That s according to the police chief, a deputy mayor, and a downtown business organization, who are all pleading with the council to avoid further reductions to the department. It s municipal malpractice, the way that our city council has addressed public safety over these last six months, Downtown Seattle Association President Jon Scholes said.