Is Ed Murray still getting Seattle Police protection?

Last week, Ed Murray resigned from office after a fifth claim of sexual abuse of a child surfaced. Now, there’s a rumor: he’s still being offered protection from the Seattle Police Department. Is he? The SPD isn’t being particularly clear.

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In a statement provided to me, the SPD won’t comment:

We do not discuss specifics of security assignments. The department routinely reviews the status of security details to ensure we are effectively deploying resources.

This neither confirms nor denies the rumor, though I suppose this statement wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a security assignment to deny.

Multiple sources have reached out to me privately to explain they’ve heard he’s being granted protective detail, and if he is, it means we’re paying for it.

“Up until 30 minutes ago [SPD] have had 2 officers sitting outside of his empty house,” one source told me this afternoon at 12:30 p.m. I’ve agreed to offer anonymity to this source. “His protective detail moved him and Michael [Murray’s husband] out using a bunch of city vehicles, to an ‘undisclosed location’ under the cover of night at 1 am in the morning before he tendered his resignation. It was a few city vehicles that were used. They went as far as using a decoy vehicle as well.”

Further details remain unknown. This is a developing story and I am working to get more specifics.

RELATED: Seattle reacts to latest allegations against Mayor Murray

Murray told The Seattle Times he’ll end up on the West Coast, “out of town.” He referred to former mayor Charlie Royer, who left the area for several years.

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