Seattle police get up to $50K hiring bonuses in 6-1 council vote

SEATTLE — In an effort to boost recruitment, the Seattle City Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to allow the police department to increase hiring bonuses up to $50,000 for experienced officers.

A version of the incentive program dates back to 2019. In 2022, it included up to $30,000 in bonuses for lateral hires and up to $7,500 for new recruits. Tuesday’s legislation will maintain the $7,500 bonus for new recruits, while increasing lateral bonuses to up to $50,000.

The Seattle Police Department has struggled with significant staffing shortages in recent years. As of this month, the department had 930 fully trained officers on staff. Seattle police’s pre-pandemic staffing peaked at 1,400.

“We know that SPD is continuing to lose more officers than were able to hire,” said Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson, the measure’s sponsor. “So this legislation is designed to address one piece of this problem, which is to grow our pool of applicants to SPD.”

Seattle’s top cop, currently interim Police Chief Sue Rahr, will determine the bonus amount for each recruit. An officer must repay the department on a prorated basis if they leave before five years of employment.

The hiring incentives are projected to cost the city $1.5 million per year. The program is funded through salary savings from the vacant police positions.

Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales was the lone opposing vote at Tuesday’s meeting. She said the legislation places Seattle officers above other city employees and cited a pay increase officers received in May. She also pointed to the recent budget deficits as a reason to forgo the increases.

“By approving this legislation, Council is throwing money at a problem instead of funding proven solutions,” Morales said.