Rantz Exclusive: Seattle mayor didn’t complete, start 70% of police recruitment plan
No wonder our police recruiting numbers are so dismal.
In July 2022, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced to the community and press his “robust and multi-pronged approach” to officer recruitment and retention. He’s accomplished almost nothing, despite a controversial move giving his office control over recruitment and retention efforts from the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
Of the 38 programs or initiatives Harrell said his administration would tackle by the end of 2022, roughly 70% either haven’t been completed or even started. Some of the ideas didn’t appear to ever be vetted with the SPD or the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), even though Harrell said the plan was developed with officers. Some initiatives have been deemed implausible, with no city announcements explaining the failures. Other aspects of the plan, if accomplished, haven’t even been publicized to the officers who were meant to benefit.
