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Mass exodus: At least 118 police officers have left the Seattle Police Department this year (and counting)

Mass exodus: At least 118 police officers have left the Seattle Police Department this year (and counting) 1

SEATTLE, WA – Thus far in 2020, there’s been at least 118 police officers that have left the Seattle Police Department.

Some might call it a surge in separations, other might call it a mass exodus – but whatever series of adjective are used to describe it – it is undoubtedly concerning.

The various separations from the SPD have been an amalgamation of retirements, finding new homes to different departments or agencies and of course, just flat-out resignations.

In September alone, there were reportedly 39 sworn officers that departed the SPD, which happens to also have followed the recent approval of the Seattle City Council to start cutting down the police budget for the city.

To illustrate how sizable this year’s trend of departures are for the SPD, the month of September on any given year only sees about 5 to 7 separations versus this year having 39 that month.

Reports show that the current size of the SPD now rests at around 1,200 sworn officers, marking the lowest police force within the department in a decade.

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But according to Jason Rantz, even that number might be a little “misleading” based upon other circumstances transpiring simultaneously:

“Many officers are using their accrued sick time as they begin their escape to other agencies or wait for retirement.”

It is with little surprise that the massive uptick in separations started in May, according to Rantz, providing a breakdown of officer departures in the months that followed:

“The mass exodus of officers started in May with 10 separations, followed by 16 in June, 10 in July, and 14 in August. In September, that number jumped to 39. So far in October, there have been eight separations according to a source, though this is not in the mayor’s report.”

In a mere five-month period, at least 89 police officers decided to leave the SPD. These number do more than illustrate a trend, they betray a sense of morale being depleted within the department.

Seattle Police Officer Guild President Mike Solan commented on the debilitating effects this trend could present in the coming months, saying that emergency calls could be deeply impacted:

“Your 911 call for help will go unanswered for a significant amount of time.”

But there’s more to take into consideration than just a decreased staff-size within the police department – one also has to take into account that growth in the population and increases in crime.

Rantz examined the numbers when it pertains to the current police force and adversities that surround the force size:

“With just about 1,200 officers in service, Seattle is staffed at lower levels than they were in 1990. The population has increased by 44% since then. And crime is surging, with a reportedly 60% year-over-year increase in homicides.”

And yet the City Council is still determined on dismissing at least another 70 police officers on the force.

According to the mayor’s office, the City Council’s vote to fire 70 additional officers in concurrence with officer departure trends and a continued hiring freeze – the SPD could see the force drop down to 1,072 officers.

Solan claims that this entire situation is “fixable” if local leadership gets their acts together and stops “pandering” to the mobs rioting in the streets:

“This is fixable if our elected leaders start supporting police, instead of pandering to a large activist crowd that’s dividing us when we need unity. False narratives about good people doing policing, pushed by the defund movement, is making our public safety efforts devolve further.”

The SPD Interim Police Chief, Adrian Diaz, commented on the dwindling department size, saying the following:

“As I have said before – I know these are incredibly hard times. I also have said I will do everything I can to keep this department whole. Each of you is needed.”

“More people in this city want you doing your job than don’t. We are pursuing multiple ways to improve your day-to-day experience – I can only ask that you give us time to see if they are successful.”

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SEATTLE, WA – The evening of October 3rd resulted in protests that reportedly escalated to instances of property damage and allegedly explosives being hurled at police officers in Seattle.

Some of the property damage was in the form of various graffiti, which showcased some disturbing language that was egging on violence against police officers.

According to reports, the protest had initially started earlier on in the day on October 3rd, which accounts allege that the onset was relatively quiet.

But police say the protest began to change for the worse once a bank on Broadway and East Harrison, and Metro bus off of Broadway near East Mercer Street was tagged with spray paint.

Seattle Police also shared images online of some of the other graffiti that was found throughout the areas where protesters and vandals marched through.

Some graffiti painted on various buildings and windows had phrases like “save a life, hang a cop” and “hi, kill cops”.

Not long after the discovery of numerous acts of vandalism, SPD delivered a dispersal order to the crowd of protesters and vandals.

Video uploaded by the SPD showcased the announcement of the dispersal order via a PA system on a police vehicle.

The SPD also announced via social media that “multiple arrests” were made after explosives were thrown at officers.

According to a press release by the SPD, 16 people were arrested in total regarding the protest that turned into an unlawful assembly.

While the names of those arrested have yet to be revealed, police say that the various arrests were linked to alleged acts of property destruction, assault, failure to disperse, and rendering criminal assistance.

The group had eventually made their way back to Cal Anderson Park at around 9:30 p.m. that evening, where some of the 16 arrests took place. After officers had cleared 11 Avenue E within the 1300 block, those among the group had made their way to Broadway and Mercer.

According to police, the group then moved away from Broadway and Mercer and started moving southbound on Broadway.

From all accounts related to the unlawful assembly, it seems that sometime after the group started moving in this direction that the gathering had fizzled out.

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