The Seattle Police Department is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar effort to replenish its police force after hundreds of officers retire, transfer to other jurisdictions or change careers entirely. .
But attracting top talent requires more than just bonuses, it also requires the allure of working in a beautiful city with relatively little violent crime. Officials need to be more creative in marketing the police department and the city of Seattle itself to hire more officers to ensure faster police response. The median response time for priority 1 calls is now 7.8 minutes. The median response time for priority 2 is 32.7 minutes. The median response time for priorities 3 and 4 is 81.1 minutes, according to the city.
They also have to contend with entry-level salaries that rank far below those in many neighboring communities.
As of late January, the department, which serves a city of about 779,000 people, had 913 deployable officers (sworn officers who were not on leave). This is the lowest number of police officers since the early 1990s, when the population was just over 520,000. The department has lost more than 700 police officers since 2019.
Mayor Bruce Harrell has set a goal of increasing the number of police officers to 1,400. Starting in 2022, the city has made strides in recruiting at job fairs, universities and military bases, and advertising on social media, billboards and television.
The city has also reduced the time between SPD receiving an application and hiring from nine months to three to four months, Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess said. Instead of traveling to Seattle, test takers can take the agility test anywhere in the country it is administered. Burgess said the city has spent more than $1 million on marketing, with the maximum annual amount through 2022 being just $100,000.
Still, despite ramping up recruitment, only 61 police officers were hired in 2023, and 97 retired in the same year. This is a decrease compared to 2022, when 159 police officers retired.
SPD offers incentive bonuses of $7,500 to new employees and up to $30,000 to officers transferring from other departments. However, research on recruiting, hiring and retention suggests that incentive pay is less important than salary and benefits when it comes to why new hires choose SPD.
If an officer leaves the department within five years, the hiring bonus must be returned. This is longer than many divisions. One year in Kent and three years in Bellevue.
But what sets Seattle apart from other cities is the opportunity for growth and development, which is likely greater in larger sectors.
The City of Seattle must continue its national advertising and recruitment efforts, which have already increased the number of applications to about 270 per month. But to compete with the top five communities for candidates, Seattle would have to raise starting salaries by $83,000 to $101,800 in Redmond, $96,200 in Kent, $95,800 in Bellevue, $94,100 in Everett, and $93,700 in Edmonds. We need to consider competing with the dollar.
But because the City uses pay, bonuses, benefits, and marketing to advance through the ranks, the honor, character, and integrity of new employees must be paramount.
