Increasing crime is a major problem in Seattle. In 2021, property crimes went up 9% from 2020, violent crimes went up by 20% (a 14-year high), and shootings were up 40%. And remember, this is comparing to 2020, which saw the highest number of murders in a quarter century! On top of that, 911 response times were historically bad (10.5 minutes). WHERE’S A CAPED SUPERHERO WHEN YOU NEED ONE?
Here are Five Fast Facts about Seattle’s new plan to strengthen the police force:
- 🚫💰How Did We Get Here? - Due to heavy criticism following the George Floyd protests in 2019 and the City Council’s push to “defund the police,” Seattle lost over 400 officers. Seems like “be careful what you wish for” applies here. Maybe, just maybe…
- 😱😱How Bad Is It? The department should have 1,300 officers, but instead has a little over 900, its lowest number in 30 years. This is causing big problems: delays in responses, required overtime (which hurts morale), forcing the department to ignore “low priority” calls, and forcing detectives to handle patrol duties rather than investigate serious crimes. Wait, what?! 🤦
- 💡☝️Please Tell Me We Have A Plan! Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell recently announced a $2 million plan to correct the critical shortage of police officers. It will include recruitment bonuses, reimbursement of moving costs, and possibly helping with tuition costs. Funding the police?! What a revolutionary concept…it just might work!
- ✔️💰Show Them The Money! The mayor’s plan focuses on signing bonuses of up to $30k for transfers from other departments and up to $7,500 for new officers. These numbers would make Seattle’s recruitment and retention comparable to other cities. Sounds pretty persuasive!
- ✈️🎓What Else Is On The Table? The plan also considers reimbursing applicant fees, travel expenses, and relocation costs. A study has been proposed to consider paying college tuition in exchange for a work commitment of at least five years. Other efforts include recruiting officers from minority communities and expanding career advancement opportunities for current officers. All good things!
🔥Bottom line: Harrell’s plan is currently in negotiations with the Seattle Police Officers Guild, so no hard facts on how the final version will look. The first half of the money was already approved by the City Council, but the rest is still up in the air. Noone wants to lose more money to taxes out of our Paychecks…but some things sure seem worth it! We don’t have a Bruce Wayne handy, So, this could be a good option.
What do you think about this plan to address the rise in Seattle crime?
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