The assault on Seattle’s police

An anti-police atmosphere caused more than 200 city police officers to retire last year. Reaction from the President of the Seattle Fraternal Order of Police, Marco Monteblanco.

Across America’s cities, evidence is mounting that demonizing the police and cutting their budgets increases crime. The most recent example is Seattle, where the curtailment of the police budget has jeopardized reforms and endangered poor and minority communities.

Federal Judge James Robart oversees a longstanding police reform approval decree between the Justice Department and the City of Seattle. Last week, his court released video footage of a hearing earlier that month in which monitor Antonio Oftelie listed Seattle’s political obstacles to public safety.

The city council cut the police budget by nearly $ 35.6 million in 2021, or about 9% compared to 2019. Councilor Kshama Sawant claimed that “the role of the police in capitalism” is “the deep inequality of the system through continued repression Defend the poor. the marginalized and color communities. “Other councilors signed a pledge to address” the ongoing attack on black lives carried on by a well-funded police state that is acting with near impunity. “

In Mr. Oftelie’s new semi-annual report, Chief of Police Adrian Diaz describes how “amid often hostile rhetoric” the department “experienced an unprecedented migration of officials to other jurisdictions”. As of January 1, 2020, around 287 Seattle police officers have retired or resigned.

SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTIMENT LOSE OFFICERS AT A RECORD SPEED IN BUDGET UNCERTAINTY, LACK OF SUPPORT: OFFICIALS

Police spokesman Randall Huserik said the department had asked the city council for money to attract new applicants. The department has also asked for permission to redistribute funds that would have been used to pay the retired officers’ salaries. The city council didn’t approve a motion and the police hired only 87 new officers in two years.

“Emergency calls are now at or above pre-pandemic levels as the world reopens,” Oftelie testified, but “that demand for services comes during a terrifying loss of a number of officials in a short space of time.” He said that “response times are getting longer as reduced resources counteract this surge in 911 calls,” including high levels of gun violence and murder.

From January to July 2021, police responded to 310 shootings, compared to 223 in the same period in 2020 and 197 in 2019. To date, there have been 26 murders in Seattle, compared with 37 in all of 2019. Police had to pull officers out of the investigation and special operations up to patrols.

The city council’s budget cuts have also undermined progressive goals. Mr. Oftelie noted that “many of the training, technology and review systems implemented under the Consent Decree cannot be sustained without the necessary budget and staff.” He described that “there is essentially no community policing in Seattle” because of cuts and staff shortages.

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Mr Oftelie concluded that “the city’s actions and investments will either plunge the ministry into a worsening crisis or lead the ministry into a future in which it can maintain compliance and build trust in constitutional policing. “

There’s only so much a federal observer and judge can do when Seattle’s political leaders don’t help. “The city and the mayor and other elected officials and the city council must be constructive and not destructive to progress,” said Judge Robart. “I’ve seen too many knee-jerk reactions and too little foresight. We have to work hard to further reduce prejudice and inequalities. At the same time, we must recognize that public safety is essential for all residents and communities. “

The elections in November will determine who is mayor and city attorney and who occupies two seats on the city council. Residents who vote for the status quo will get the growing disorder they deserve.