With the police department at its lowest staffing level in approximately 30 years, several Seattle City Council members said their top priority is increasing police department staffing and that urgent action needs to be taken.
The Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee received an update on March 12 about police recruitment and retention from the Seattle Public Safety Civil Service Commission and the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
"I think if rock bottom was ever a thing, we are probably here" said District 1 councilmember Rob Saka.
The Seattle Police Department has lost more than 700 officers in the past five years and is at its lowest staffing level since the 1990s. Currently, the department has 913 actively working police officers.
“This council is extremely worried about staffing levels,” said Seattle City Council president and citywide councilmember Sara Nelson.
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