Hiring bonuses for the Seattle Police Department (SPD) may not have helped recruit new officers, according to a preliminary report dated April 12.
Former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan authorized hiring incentives for new SPD officers and call operators for the Community Safety and Communications Center (CSCC) in October 2021. The city promised through the end of 2021 bonuses of up to $10,000 for prospective entry-level candidates and $25,000 for lateral hires, depending on experience and training.
The analysis, compiled by the Seattle Department of Human Resources, said that the SPD “did not experience an increase in hiring since implementing a hiring incentive in October 2021.” In contrast, the CSCC, which was moved out of the SPD last year, saw a five-fold increase in applications.
According to the report, the differences in results may be due to new management and an emphasis on the fact that the CSCC is no longer under the purview of the police department. The report also said that many other police departments in the region offer hiring incentives, making it harder for Seattle to attract recruits in a competitive labor market.
Community advocates such as the coalition Decriminalize Seattle have been calling on the City Council to redirect funding for the hiring bonuses to other community needs. They have also called on the city to defund the police department’s budget by 50 percent and redirect the money to community-based safety solutions.
Meanwhile, new City Councilmember Sara Nelson has signaled her support to make police hiring bonuses permanent. The councilmember introduced a resolution last month calling on the city to resume hiring incentives, saying “we have to be able to recruit people from out of state and incentives could help with those relocation costs.”
Over the past two years, the SPD has seen its force decline by 28 percent, from nearly 1,300 officers in 2019 to about 920 as of March 2022. This trend is echoed across the country, with police departments struggling to return to the same staffing levels as before the pandemic.
The long term nationwide decrease in police staffing could be due to a number of factors. An article by CNN says that these factors include disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the “great resignation” of workers across industries and frustrations around police reform efforts.
There may also be less interest in the police profession among young people who have been exposed to racial injustices perpetrated by cops. According to a 2020 Mott poll, one in twelve parents reported that their teenager participated in a Black Lives Matter protest against police violence.
Seattle city leaders may have to reckon with the prospect of a smaller police force becoming a permanent reality.
Guy Oron is the staff reporter for Real Change. Find them on Twitter, @GuyOron.
Read more of the Apr. 20-26, 2022 issue.