CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE related to recruitment and retention of police officers in the Seattle Police Department; making permanent a hiring incentives program in the Seattle Police Department; and amending Ordinance 126654.
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WHEREAS, the Seattle Police Department strives to maintain a highly qualified, diverse, and professional police service to meet the complex public safety demands of Seattle neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Police Department has successfully increased the hiring of people of color from 22 percent in 2014 to 64 percent in 2024 year-to-date through the end of July; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department have recognized the need to urgently hire additional officers to meet minimum staffing levels and community expectations; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Police Department faces increased competition for qualified applicants for the position of police officer due, in part, to regional and national hiring incentives at law enforcement agencies; and
WHEREAS, Seattle police response times to 9-1-1 Priority 1 dispatches have a median measure of 7.8 minutes in the first two quarters of 2024, longer than the desired seven minutes; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 32050, adopted in 2022, established the intent of the Council to pass legislation allowing the Seattle Police Department's development of a staffing incentives program to enhance its provision of an adequate number of fully trained, deployable officers to prevent, respond to, and investigate crime in Seattle; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 126654, adopted in 2022, authorized the creation of a hiring incentives pilot program in the Seattle Police Department; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 127026, adopted in 2024, created a dedicated Recruitment and Retention Program in the Seattle Police Department responsible for increasing the number of sworn officers; and
WHEREAS, the number of Seattle police officers fully train...
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