Seattle City Council cuts police department budget nearly 17 percent

Seattle's City Council has moved forward with a nearly 17 percent cut to the city's police department budget following this year's protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

The city council voted Monday to adopt a 2021 spending plan that calls for $340 million for the Seattle Police Department, down from the $409 million budgeted for the agency this year, NBC News reported.

Under the budget, vacancies within the department will remain unfilled, officers will see a reduction in overtime and the police department will no longer control 911 dispatching or parking enforcement.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) lauded the proposals, saying in a statement, "I believe we are laying the groundwork to make systemic and lasting changes to policing."

"We have rightly put forward a plan that seeks to ensure SPD has enough officers to meet 911 response and investigative needs throughout the city, while acknowledging and addressing the disproportionate impacts policing has had on communities of color, particularly Black communities," she added.

Durkan also mentioned that she supports the city in being selective when it comes to "what services we need from the Seattle Police Department and how we can scale up alternatives t... (Read more)

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