CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE related to recruitment and retention of police officers in the Seattle Police Department; modifying a proviso in the 2022 Budget by amending Ordinance 126589; creating positions in the Seattle Department of Human Resources to assist with recruitment to the Seattle Police Department; modifying appropriations in the 2022 Budget by amending Ordinance 126490; authorizing a hiring incentives program in the Seattle Police Department; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
body
WHEREAS, the most serious violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) reported to the Seattle Police Department (SPD) increased by 20.1 percent to 2,303 incidents in the first five months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, the highest level in the previous ten years in the same five-month period; and
WHEREAS, in the calendar year 2021, Seattle’s violent crime rate was 7.21 per 1,000 population; and
WHEREAS, the most significant property crimes (arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) increased 20.7 percent to 19,279 incidents in the first five months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, the highest level in the previous ten years in the same five-month period; and
WHEREAS, in the calendar year 2021, Seattle’s property crime rate was 56.9 per 1,000 population; and
WHEREAS, Seattle police response times to 9-1-1 Priority 1 dispatches have a median measure of 7.5 minutes, in the first quarter of 2022, longer than the desired seven minutes; 48% of Priority 1 calls were responded to in under 7 minutes in 2022 so far, down from 52% in 2021; Priority 1 calls for service include life-threatening emergencies and serious crimes in progress; and
WHEREAS, the number of Seattle police officers fully trained and available for deployment was 954 at the end of May 2022, the lowest number since at least 1991, the first year the number of “in-service” officers was reported; and
WHEREAS, in May 2022, Seattle’s police officer to population ratio was 1.25 per 1,000 residents, a ratio significantly below the typical ratio prior of 1.70 to 2.0 between 2012 and 2020; and
WHEREAS, the declining number of police officers fully trained and available for deployment puts at risk the public health and safety of the city; and
WHEREAS, while SPD has one of the highest starting salaries in the state and region, recruitment of new police officers has become increasingly difficult in Seattle and across the United States, and police agencies now offer hiring incentives to attract applicants; in the Seattle region the cities of Auburn, Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Renton, and Tacoma, and the King County Sheriff’s Office, offer incentives ranging from $1,000 to $30,000; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 1 of Ordinance 126589 is amended as follows:
Section 1. Council Budget Action SPD-003-B-001, approved in the 2022 Adopted Budget per Ordinance 126490, restricts the appropriations in the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) budget for sworn salary and benefits to only be used to pay SPD’s recruits and sworn officers, unless authorized by future ordinance. This ordinance provides authorization to use up to (($1,150,000)) $1,571,309 of the funds restricted by SPD-003-B-001 as follows: (1) ((up to $650,000)) for moving expenses for new police officer hires in 2022, ((provided that the Seattle Department of Human Resources (SDHR) amends the City’s Personnel Rules)) as authorized in Ordinance 126615 to allow greater flexibility for appointing authorities to offer moving assistance to a broader range of positions and circumstances and to pay for the salary and benefits for an additional recruiter in SPD; (2) ((up to $350,000)) for a national ad campaign to market police officer positions to potential candidates; (3) for costs related to recruitment and retention of officers in SPD; all reimbursable expenses authorized by Ordinance 126615; contracting with outside agencies to help SPD develop a brand, materials, and advertising campaign to bolster recruitment; Improvements that can speed up the process of hiring new police officers, including technology costs and subscriptions; and hiring incentives in 2022 authorized by Section 5 of Council Bill 120389; and (((3))) (4) ((up to $150,000)) to pay for a national search to hire a permanent Chief of Police. For the purpose of this ordinance, costs related to retention of officers in SPD mean expenditures that do not need to be bargained and that are associated with the Leave No Candidate behind program, the creation and support of Bureau Advisory Councils, the creation and support of the Develop Our People Leadership Academy, and the implementation of Wellness First (4/10) schedules. The implementation of Wellness First schedules for SPD’s Community Response Group (CRG) does not need to be bargained because of an existing agreement between the unions and the city for limited implementation of the (4/10) schedules in the CRG and because the CRG is a voluntary program, with participation at individual officers’ discretion. Further implementation of the Wellness First schedules in the department may require bargaining.
Section 2. To further effectuate the intent of Section 1, the Council requests that the Executive present, if legally necessary, to the Public Safety Civil Service Commission at its September 21, 2022 meeting, or as soon as possible thereafter, a draft rule that allows for moving expense reimbursement for all police and fire public safety positions, consistent with SMC 4.14.140 and 4.14.150 as modified by Ordinance 126615 and any relevant administrative rule changes made after the effective date of Ordinance 126615.
Section 3. The following new positions are created in the Seattle Department of Human Resources:
|
Department |
Position Title |
Position Status |
Number |
|
Seattle Department of Human Resources |
Manager 2, General Government |
Full Time |
1 |
|
Seattle Department of Human Resources |
Personnel Analyst Sr. |
Full Time |
2 |
|
Seattle Department of Human Resources |
Personnel Analyst |
Full Time |
1 |
The Director of the Seattle Department of Human Resources is authorized to fill this position subject to Seattle Municipal Code Title 4, the City’s Personnel Rules, and applicable employment laws.
Section 4. Positions for a total of four new employees in the Seattle Department of Human Resources (SDHR), three of whom will be dedicated to recruiting new employees for the Seattle Police Department (SPD), and one of whom will be dedicated to increasing the capacity of the Public Safety Civil Service Examinations Unit, are added in Section 3 of this ordinance. Salary and benefits for these positions are cut from SPD salary savings and transferred to SDHR in Section 5 of this ordinance.
Section 5. The appropriations for the following items in the 2022 Budget are modified as follows:
|
Item |
Department |
Fund |
Budget Summary Level |
Amount |
|
5.1 |
Seattle Police Department |
General Fund (00100) |
Leadership and Administration (00100-BO-SP-P1600) |
($228,691) |
|
|
Seattle Human Resources Department |
General Fund (00100) |
HR Services (00100-BO-HR-N6000) |
$228,691 |
|
Total |
$0 |
Section 6. From July 13, 2022, to December 31, 2024, the Seattle Police Department may offer certain police officer candidates, including new recruits and new lateral officers, a hiring incentive to be paid after beginning employment with The City of Seattle. Public Safety Civil Service Commission (PSCSC) Rule 10.03 describes the process by which former officers may request and receive reinstatement to a sworn SPD position with the approval of the Chief of Police and the Executive Director of the PSCSC, and officers so appointed are neither new recruits nor new lateral officers. The Council recognizes that former officers who are re-hired by SPD require minimal training and can immediately bolster the department’s 9-1-1 response ability or provision of investigative services. The Council also recognizes that the Seattle Police Officers Guild collective bargaining agreement provides that former officers who leave SPD and are re-hired in the same classification within the next two years return to their previous salary step and benefit accrual rates and that this return constitutes an economic benefit. For these reasons, eligibility for the hiring incentive shall be extended to former officers who are reinstated to SPD after two years or more or who do not otherwise receive the economic benefit of a return to their previous salary step and benefit accrual rates.
A. Incentives provided to lateral police officer hires and to officers who are reinstated to SPD after two years or more shall be paid one incentive per employee, and be based on market demand, which shall not exceed $30,000 per hire. Incentives paid to new recruit hires shall be one-time per employee and be based on market demand not to exceed $7,500 per hire. If an employee who has received this incentive leaves the department, that person may not receive an incentive to return.
B. Half of the hiring incentive will be paid in the first paycheck and the second half upon completion of any probationary period established by the Public Safety Civil Service Rules.
C. Hiring incentives paid to new recruits, lateral transfers, and reinstated officers who leave Seattle Police Department employment before five years of completed service must be paid back to the City.
D. Current City employees, with the exception of recruiters in the Seattle Department of Human Resources, recruiters in the Seattle Police Department, and employees of the Public Safety Civil Service Commission, who make a referral of a lateral hire or new recruit hire are eligible to receive a referral incentive of up to $1,000, payable when the applicant graduates from the state police academy and begins police officer field training with SPD.
E. Beginning October 1, 2022, and occurring every three months thereafter for the duration of this program, the Seattle Police Department will provide a quarterly report to the Mayor and City Council on the use of hiring incentives. The report shall include the number and amount of new, lateral, and reinstated incentives paid as well as the number and amount of new and lateral incentives pending completion of the requirements of subsection 6.B of this ordinance. The Seattle Police Department and the City Budget Office Innovation and Performance Team shall also conduct an evaluation of the city’s use of hiring incentives authorized in subsection 6.A of this ordinance that shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:
1. How the incentive compares with similar incentives offered by other local and state law enforcement agencies;
2. Responses to survey questions that specifically identify:
a. Whether the hiring incentive contributed to a new recruit’s decision to work in policing versus another profession;
b. Whether the incentive resulted in a new recruit’s or lateral officer’s decision to work for the Seattle Police Department versus another local or state law enforcement agency;
c. How the recruit or lateral officer learned about the hiring incentive; and
d. Whether the incentive was effective than other recruitment tactics, such as being contacted by a member of the Seattle Police Department or meeting Department representatives at a career fair or other event;
3. A demographic and race and social justice analysis of the information collected pursuant to subsection E; and
4. An analysis of costs and benefits of the City’s use of hiring incentives and a recommendation about whether the City should continue the use of incentives as an ongoing recruitment strategy.
The Seattle Police Department shall begin collecting data required for the evaluation at the same time that it begins providing the hiring incentives authorized in subsection 6.A of this ordinance and will endeavor to analyze and disclose one full year of data in the evaluation. The evaluation shall be transmitted to the City Clerk; the Chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee or successor committee, and the Central Staff Director no later than 15 months after the Department begins to offer the hiring incentives.
Section 7. The City acknowledges that some aspects of this ordinance may be subject to bargaining with our union partners and the City intends to do so in good faith.
Section 8. Any action consistent with the authority of this ordinance taken prior to its effective date is ratified and confirmed.
Section 9. The provisions of this ordinance are declared to be separate and severable. The invalidity of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, subsection, or portion of this ordinance, or the invalidity of its application to any person or circumstance, does not affect the validity of the remainder of this ordinance or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances.
Section 10. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2022, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2022.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
Approved / returned unsigned / vetoed this _____ day of _________________, 2022.
____________________________________
Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2022.
____________________________________
Elizabeth M. Adkisson, Interim City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments: