Last Friday, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best sent a message to officers to convey the financial outlook of the City and address any future cuts that may happen within SPD.
While no decisions have been made yet, SPD’s leadership warns that by laying off 50% of the department would be catastrophic for public safety in the city of Seattle.
According to SPD, the Department has made a conscious effort to hire employees, both sworn and civilian, who represent the diversity and values within our community.
However, they say that cuts this deep mean would mean that SPD would lose more than 50% of their Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) officers.
According to Best, it is clear the City of Seattle demands changes to its police department, but these budget cuts will come with drastic and lasting impacts to community safety.
