Seattle Police report staffing and budgeting concerns
SEATTLE, Wash. - Seattle Police are facing staffing and money concerns with more than 20 vacant positions and overtime costs expected to exceed the budget.
On Tuesday, Seattle Police presented data to the city’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee.
The information focused on staff levels, budget, and response times.
According to SPD, the department is budgeted for 21 positions that remain vacant. While funding exists for these openings, overtime costs are a concern.
In 2022, Seattle Police was budgeted $26.4 million for overtime costs. However, the department spent $33.7 million on overtime. That is $7.3 million more than budgeted.
In 2023, the city increased the police department’s overtime budget to $31.3 million, which is about $5 million more than in 2022.
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However, the police department reports they will likely go over budget again in 2023.
Seattle Police also broke down response time data.
The department reports the Southwest and West precincts saw response times decrease.
However, the North precinct saw response time increases across the board.
Seattle Police report an 18% decrease in citywide shootings in comparison to the same time period as last year.
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