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Seattle police union sounds alarm after city axes officer hiring bonuses amid staffing shortage
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Seattle’s police union is sounding the alarm after the city eliminated lucrative hiring bonuses for new and experienced officers despite the department remaining hundreds of cops short, warning the move could make it even harder to compete with neighboring departments for recruits.
“Public safety should be the cornerstone of every city budget,” Seattle Police Officers Guild President Kent Loux told Fox News Digital after the city ended incentives that had offered $7,500 to new recruits and as much as $50,000 to experienced officers willing to join the Seattle Police Department.
“Unfortunately, Mayor Katie has proven time and again that public safety is not a priority, but rather an inconvenience to be addressed after tragedy strikes.
“The decision to eliminate hiring incentives is baffling. Seattle has still not recovered from the consequences of the defund-the-police movement that began in 2020, and we remain hundreds of officers short. Now is the time to be aggressively recruiting qualified officers, not eliminating one of the tools that helps us compete for them. If this is the direction the mayor intends to take, the future of public safety in Seattle does not look positive.”
Fox 13 Seattle reported Wednesday that the city stopped its hiring incentives for police recruits, slashing bonuses that provided as much as $50,000 for lateral officers joining from other law enforcement agencies.
Local outlet Kiro 7 reported that entry-level hires would qualify for $7,500, plus up to $5,000 in moving expenses if the move exceeds 50 miles, while lateral hires or officers that move from another department can receive up to $50,000 and $7,500 for relocation.
KOMO News recently reported that the Seattle Police Department is “hundreds of officers short of its staffing goals, with only 927 deployable officers,” with some outlets reporting that the department is short at least 300 officers from full staffing.
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The outlet noted that the Bellevue Police Department posted on Aug. 28 on X that officers joining its department from another department would get a $30,000 signing bonus in addition to other incentives.
“A decision has been made to stop the hiring incentives until a time when the budget forecast for the Seattle Police Department is clear,” the Seattle Police Department said in a statement shared with Fox 13.
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The department added, “We have a responsibility to the people of Seattle to provide the best police service while also being fiscally responsible. We will continue to hire some of the highest quality candidates in the country and are dedicated to helping keep Seattle a safe and welcoming city.”
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the office of Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said, “Seattle police officers play a critical role in keeping our communities safe, and Mayor Wilson values their service. The decision to adjust incentive pay was not made lightly. It reflects the fiscal realities facing our city and the need to align compensation with long-term sustainability across all departments.
“Having said that, for the first time since 2019, we’re seeing fewer officers leave the department, and SPD hired almost 100 officers over the past eight months. There are also 3,500 applications under review. Over the next few months, Interim Chief Sayles is focusing on operations and working to unlock the bottleneck of getting new officers thoughtfully through training and on the street.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Seattle Police Department for comment.
