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In recently obtained Seattle Police Department (SPD) interviews, the departing officers doubled down on the well-documented pressures the department faces both internally and externally, with multiple references to the city and its elected officials, local media, intra-department toxicity, and the lack of of career development as a reason to flee the Emerald City.
“I used to be proud to say I worked for the SPD. I can’t say it anymore,” wrote a recently retired detective. “Homeless and drug addicts get more support than cops/detectives get.”
Of all the reasons to leave, compensation was one of the few bright spots of being a Seattle police officer.
In a question titled, “Do you consider your salary competitive?” 60% of exit interviewers answered yes or something similar. Of the 40 percent dissatisfied with their pay, half say it’s unsatisfactory just given the extra hurdles Seattle presents to police.
“Salary was competitive with other agencies, but not commensurate with the workload and challenges that come with a city the size of Seattle compared to other agencies in the state,” one employee wrote in response.
Yet in August 2022, the Seattle City Council decided — by a 6-3 vote — to add additional financial incentives to hire more employees. The approved legislation allowed SPD to spend an additional $289,000 on hiring bonuses in 2022 on top of the $1.5 million already approved earlier in May.
Seattle Mayor Harrell pledges to hire 500 SPD officers by 2027.
New SPD hires are eligible for hiring bonuses of up to $30,000 – as long as they have been employed with the department for at least five years.
“There are things that will not be allowed by the police,” said Councilwoman Tammy Morales, one of three votes against the hiring bonus plan. “Our homelessness crisis, our need for more affordable housing, our limited access to behavioral health care.”
Teresa Mosqueda and Kshama Sawant were the other two votes against police hiring bonuses.
Over the past two and a half years, the loss of more than 400 police officers has depleted the SPD to the point where essential services cannot be provided quickly and efficiently, according to the SPD’s recruitment and retention plan. As of May 2022, the number of officers trained and deployed — 954 — is the lowest in over 30 years.
Since 60 percent of the published exit interviews are retirements instead of resignations, the department and city officials are expected to scrutinize the hiring process.
A November report by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) claims that police departments and agencies across the country have underfunded both the recruitment and training processes of officers. Retirements and resignations are up 45 percent and 18 percent nationally, respectively, while hiring is down 5 percent, according to PERF.
For many employees, according to exit interviews, the summer of 2020 has changed the department’s perception of the city as much as the city has changed its perception of the department.
“I enjoyed helping people as a police officer, but with the staff it became very difficult to do the job,” wrote a detective who served on the force for 20 years. “Morale was so low. It was hard just getting in the car to go to work. I felt that the department did not fight hard enough to protect the employees after the riots. And now the department is understaffed and detectives are paying for it.
“The way we always stack up,” answered a former officer when asked, “What factors had a negative impact on the department?” But the list didn’t end there.
“Local Citizen Stakeholders. Councilman Sawant and her ilk. The City Council. Local and national press. The city’s legal department,” the officer continued. “The insane convictions of the justice system in recent years that make policing almost impossible and take personal responsibility to the extreme. The State Legislative Assembly. The governor.
Approximately 42% of police officers leaving Seattle cite local government as the main reason for leaving, such as the City Council, the King County District Attorney’s Office, the local media, Mayor Bruce Harrell, Governor Jay Inslee, and anyone involved in “Liberating the Police” , mentioned in numerous different interviews.
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“Move the department to another city,” wrote an employee with a smiley face. “The better one [Seattle] district doesn’t realize what a diverse, sane, knowledgeable, well-rounded department it is, allowing it to evaporate despite our leadership’s best efforts.
Leadership within the department remains the subject of internal discourse, as some employees praised their superiors while others criticized the authority displayed.
“Management made the people on the patrol feel like we were insignificant. The patrol was affected the most by the political backlash, but leadership never seemed to address our morale problems,” wrote an officer who served less than 10 years. “Also, when it comes to a patrol decision, patrol officers have rarely had an opportunity to voice our opinion of the department.”
Former police chiefs Carmen Best, Kathleen O’Toole and Gil Kerlikowski received specific praise for their leadership and camaraderie in the collected interviews.
Another officer used his exit interview to discuss infighting within the department between specific senior officers and the lack of respect shown by captains and other high-ranking officers.
“The negativity spread internally and up the chain of command,” the officer wrote in response to what causes negative morale.
Adrian Diaz officially sworn in as Seattle Police Chief
Multiple officers reportedly felt they weren’t heard or listened to, according to exit interviews, including one who stated that “the chain of command doesn’t stand up for officers when they’re doing the right thing” as the least enjoyable part of the job .
“I know our chief was busy, but I know every correspondence I sent to Chief Best was answered,” wrote an officer transferred to another Washington police department.
Lack of equipment, specifically vehicles, was repeatedly cited as another pressing issue the department needed to address.
“Our system is broken and we’re just chasing our tails and putting our lives at risk doing this,” reads the exit interview response.
On average, police officers spend eight months in training before they can patrol the streets alone, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. That means it’s likely to take years to fill vacancies in America’s police departments.
It’s important to remember that despite understaffing trends and over-politicization of the issue, these officers left for their own personal reasons, including a five-year SPD veteran who wrote “family and I are moving to the east coast” as his reason for leaving his post .
Their least enjoyable part of working for SPD? “The lack of reasonably accessible and safe parking.”
Amid the bleak circumstances facing the SPD, a 37-year police veteran shared his optimistic outlook ahead of his retirement.
“Times are tough. This department is a family, no matter what people say outside or inside the department. It will overcome obstacles.”
MyNorthwest has reached out to SPD for comment.
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