The Durkan Digest: My Plan to Transform Policing
In recent months, I’ve shared my vision and plan to transform policing and invest in public safety alternatives. As part of the 2021 budget, I proposed a 12 percent reduction to the Seattle Police Department budget that includes cuts and transferring positions to civilian departments. As part of this plan, I outlined a timeline and process to continue that progress and identify further SPD functions that could be transitioned to a civilian or community-based public safety alternative. As this work continues, my priorities remain clear: Preserve swift 911 emergency response and investigations capacity, meet our obligations under the Consent Decree, and invest immediately in upstream solutions and alternatives.
As City Council considers changes to the Seattle Police Department, the City Budget Office and SPD updated the Council and the public on new data regarding the number of officers who have left the department in 2020, and specifically in recent weeks. The SPD is experiencing record-breaking levels of attrition this year, with 110 officers leaving the force through the end of September. In September alone, 39 officers left the force; that’s double the next-highest month on record.
Most concerning to me is the fact that some of our youngest officers – those who joined the department knowing it was under a federal Consent Decree – are leaving at an extremely high rate. These are the exact officers we want to keep as we transform the department. They’re the ones who entered the department with an emphasis on de-escalation training and community-based, constitutional policing.
If Council doesn’t acknowledge these realities and act quickly towards a strategic plan, we’ll soon see undeniable impacts to 911 response times and investigative services. It could also impact the department’s ability to sustain the gains and meet the requirements of the federal Consent Decree. And if staffing cuts to the Seattle Police Department continue on top of these record attrition numbers and proposed layoffs by City Council, by 2022 we’ll likely have a police force smaller than what we employed in the 1990, despite the fact that our population has grown 44 percent since then.
We can and must get community safety right in Seattle. But I continue to believe that it cannot be based of arbitrary cuts or percentages. It is a false choice between defunding by 50 percent and investing in community-based public safety alternatives. It is a false choice between hiring young, diverse officers committed to community policing and training or not hiring at all. The City must be prepared to answer the 800,000 911 calls we receive each year while simultaneously investing in upstream solutions to address the underlying causes of crime and violence. We cannot expect community-based public safety alternatives to be fully developed or scaled, operational, and able to mitigate for the officer shortage we are now facing.
In recent years, the Seattle Police Department – in partnership with myself and the City Council – successfully worked to increase hiring of young, BIPOC officers committed to reform and community policing. We’ve also laid the groundwork to expand civilian, community-based public safety alternatives, including our Heath One program and unarmed, civilian Community Service Officers. Even amidst these uncertain times, many of these officers remain, and many more are ready to join the department. As we continue to transition functions out of the department, we can ensure young, diverse officers continue to join the department. This is crucial both to preserve emergency response and investigative services and to ensure the department reflects the communities it serves.
As City Council considers more changes to SPD’s budget, you have the opportunity to contact them and share your perspective at council@seattle.gov.
As always, please continue to write me at Jenny.Durkan@seattle.gov, reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we’re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog.
Stay Safe and Healthy,