SEATTLE — A Seattle City Council committee discussed a proposal Thursday to improve police recruitment. The Seattle Police Department is facing the lowest staffing levels it has seen in decades.
Seattle City Council President Sarah Nelson said SPD is losing more officers than it can hire and believes her proposed ordinance will help address this problem.
"Everyday I have someone outreach me regarding the public safety concerns on our street," said Councilmember Bob Kettle, a co-sponsor of the legislation.
To address the public's worry, the proposal aims to make police recruitment and hiring more efficient.
"What I'm trying to do with this legislation is focus on what we can fix and our hiring and recruitment practices is a good place to start because we can't not do anything," said Nelson.
The Seattle Police Department said it has seen staffing levels decrease every year since 2019. Nelson said there are many reasons for that, including pay and an aging force.
"People mention low morale stemming from messages from the previous council's lack of support for law enforcement," Nelson said.
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz wants to hire 125 new officers this year.
The ordinance's goal is to create a four-person recruitment and retention office in the Seattle Police Department to speed up the hiring process and keep in touch with applicants. One position would be added, and the other three would come from the city's human resources department.
The proposal also calls for improving the application process itself. It encourages the Public Safety Service Commission to switch to a new system that allows applicants to use the same form for multiple jurisdictions and recommends using the same police entry exam used by multiple other agencies.
"Make some no-brainer improvements to our hiring process to get more people into the pipeline. that's why we're trying to do here," Nelson said.
The Governance, Accountability, and Economic Development Committee will vote on the measure on May 9. If passed, it would then head to the full council.