Police and Public Safety

Mayor Jenny Durkan gave soon-to-retire Police Chief Carmen Best some flowers to express her gratitude during a press conference about blocking police budget cuts in the Norm Rice room at City Hall. (Seattle Channel)

Mayor Durkan Vetoes Rebalancing Package Decrying Police Cuts, ‘Irresponsible’ Investments

Mayor Jenny Durkan again reached for her veto pen today, nixing the entire rebalancing package passed on August 10th. The Seattle City Council was...
Three bike-wielding cops form a barricade around a sweep with a large contingent of officers behind

Councilmembers Spar Over Police Staffing Incentives, Poll Shows Broad Support for Addressing Root Causes...

Councilmember Sara Nelson was on the warpath during the Seattle City Council's weekly briefing Monday, seeking to outmaneuver Public Safety Chair Lisa Herbold to...

Op-Ed: Seattle Council Must Reject an Unaccountable SPOG Contract

The tentative labor contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild fails to strengthen accountability while offering huge retroactive pay increases. With a contract that is expired as soon as it's signed, it’s difficult to understand why the City is giving up leverage in these negotiations. Council will vote to ratify the deal Tuesday.
Three officers standing around a squad car

New Seattle Police Contract Punts on Accountability, Delivers Big 23% Raise

Mayor Harrell's contract would make Seattle police the highest paid in the region, but no more accountable. The long-awaited new proposed contract between the City...

Sunday Video: How American Fire Departments Are Getting People Killed

Fire departments rightly get high praise for fighting fires, rescuing people, and saving lives. But North American fire departments have been resistant to change...

Chief Rahr Fires Seattle Cop Who Struck and Killed Jaahnavi Kandula

On Monday, interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr fired SPD Officer Kevin Dave. Dave was driving 74 miles per hour in response to an overdose call almost two years ago when he killed graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula while she was in a crosswalk.

Texts Reveal Durkan’s Office Used Covert Efforts to Disperse Protesters

Fourteen days after Seattle Police abandoned their East Precinct, then Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office began to develop “covert” plans to expel protesters from the...

SDCI Delivers Vacant Building Monitoring Report

A year after the city adopted new vacant building maintenance and demolition laws, the city council received a monitoring report and briefing on the...