Seattle City Council considers incentives, retention pay for police officers
Seattle City Council to consider retention bonuses for officers
Seattle City Council will discuss ways to keep police officers on the force Tuesday.
SEATTLE - The Seattle City Council again considered retention bonuses for police officers during their Tuesday public safety committee meeting.
The council is looking at a draft bill and resolution to keep officers on the force. Resolution 32050, specifically, seeks to lift a proviso on salary and benefits savings for officers in 2022, using it to fund staffing incentives.
According to a staffing report from Seattle Police, their department has lost 255 officers since 2020, and they are expected to fall short of their goal to onboard 125 new officers this year.
Featured
'We need to level the playing field'; Seattle City Council debates hiring bonuses for city staff outside SPD
Seattle Police have lost around 26% of their officers since the start of 2020, but recruiters and the City Council agree that their retention issue extends beyond just police officers—it's affecting all the city's departments.
The Seattle City Council previously approved $220,000 in bonuses for the Seattle Police Department in 2022.
RELATED: Seattle City Attorney drops nearly 2,000 cases to ease backlog
Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. Download for Apple iOS or Android. And sign up for BREAKING NEWS emails delivered straight to your inbox.
Other cities offer hiring bonuses for officers.