SPD adding hundreds of officers to keep up with Obama visit, Gay Pride
Jun 14, 2016, 4:39 PM | Updated: 9:18 pm
President Barack Obama greets Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Washington Governor Jay Inslee during a visit to Seattle in October 2015. (AP)
(AP)
The weekend of June 24-26 in Seattle is going to be a busy one — especially for Seattle police.
For starters, it’s Pride weekend in Seattle with a series of events and parades that take over city streets.
On top of that, President Barack Obama will also be visiting Seattle. He’ll be in town Friday, June 24 for a private Democratic fundraiser with Governor Jay Inslee. According to the state Democratic Party, tickets start at $250 dollars a pop.
It’s not clear if the President will stick around that weekend for any events, which include a trans pride night on Friday, and the Gay Pride parade on Sunday.
The Seattle Police Department is being taxed over the weekend with finding enough officers to staff a range of events. The Capitol Hill Pride Festival wanted to extend its festivities beyond Saturday and into Sunday, but the city could not accommodate them, citing a lack of police officers.
A memo to the festival states:
All sworn furloughs have been cancelled for the three day period due to the president’s visit in order to ensure patrol operations and staffing of the many special events already scheduled this time period.
Seattle police, Obama and gay pride
The city states that:
June 24: There is a Mariners game, Wildrose Pride 2016, Neighbors Gay Pride Celebration and the SAM Party in the Park. Those events added up will require 311 additional police officers above normal staffing levels.
June 25: There is another Mariners game, a Sounders game — as well as the Sounders March to the Match — Seafair Pirate Landing, Capitol Hill Pride Festival, Capitol Hill Pride March, Seattle Dyke March, Greenwood Car Show, and others — the city notes in its memo. Those events require that the city add 465 more officers than normal.
June 26: The city says that there is the Pride Parade, Pride Parade in Tilikum Place, Cuff Pride Day Celebration, Four-Twenty Games, and another Mariners game. That means 488 more officers than normally posted will be needed.
KIRO Radio’s Jillian Raftery contributed to this article.
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