To help address critical ongoing staffing challenges in 911 Dispatch and the Seattle Police Department, Mayor Jenny Durkan recently used her executive authority to authorize a hiring bonus to help with the recruitment of experienced officers and staff to the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and the Community Safety and Communications Center (CSCC). Durkan’s order would allow for hiring incentives within the current 2021 budget authority by providing a hiring bonus of up to $25,000 for lateral hires and $10,000 for new hires, depending on levels of experience and training.
“When residents call 911, they expect an officer to show up – and when they call the 911 emergency line, they expect that someone will answer the phone,” says Durkan. “Hiring, recruiting and training takes months, and we need to act now to ensure we can have trained and deployable staff. Seattle cannot keep waiting to address the real public safety officer hiring and retention crisis we are experiencing in Seattle right now.”
Over the past two years, more than 250 officers have left SPD, resulting in rising response times and reducing SPD’s capacity by well over 300,000 service hours. Despite efforts by Mayor and SPD Chief Adrian Diaz to restore funding to the department and reinstate hiring bonuses, the Seattle City Council has rejected these proposals. Meanwhile, competition for officers has increased in the region and nationwide and Seattle has seen a significant rise in gun violence over the past year, with a 76% year-to-date rise in shots fired and a 29% increase in non-fatal shootings compared to 2020.
At the same time, the CSCC pre-existing staffing shortage has resulted in a 40% increase in overtime spending year to date as compared to last year, as all available resources are directed at maintaining 911 call answer performance times. With the cumulative addition of vaccine mandate staffing losses, shortfalls are now critical and starting Friday, October 29, residents calling the City’s non-emergency phone number may reach a pre-recorded message during busy times to ensure 911 calls are prioritized. This recorded message will direct callers to alternative options to help them address the purpose of their call. This decision allows the 911 Center to concentrate available employees to answer 911 emergency calls and dispatch officers to respond to public safety incidents.
Earlier this week, the Council Budget Committee heard arguments for removing hiring incentives from the Mayor’s 2022 proposed budget, which also includes funding for 125 new officers. Instead of waiting for Council action in the 2022 budget, this Emergency Order will authorize this spending immediately, in an effort to address immediate and critical public safety staffing shortages.
“Hiring is a challenge for every law enforcement agency right now, and most are offering incentives to attract new members,” says Diaz. “These new hiring bonuses will level the competitive playing field and will allow the SPD to attract the highest caliber employees we need to protect and serve all people of Seattle.”
