MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Mayor Ed Murray: Seattle will hire 200 more police officers

Feb 16, 2016, 2:50 PM | Updated: 11:34 pm

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said the city will hire more officers, use body cameras and continue to evo...

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said the city will hire more officers, use body cameras and continue to evolve during his 2016 state of the city speech. (Seattle Channel)

(Seattle Channel)

In his annual State of the City address, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray doubled down on his effort to add more police to city streets.

“I committed to hiring 100 more officers over attrition in my first term. We are on track to meet that goal. And we are doing it with a significant increase in diversity among recruits,” Murray said in front of a packed council chambers Tuesday afternoon.

Related: Seattle mayor reportedly plans to run for re-election

“I recognize we need more officers for better visibility throughout our city,” he said. “We will add 100 additional officers to my original goal for an overall goal of 200 net officers.”

Murray continued to say that the increase in officers “will not be free.” He plans to present the city council will a proposal to pay for the additional officers.

Murray also said the city needs to, and will, ensure that all Seattle officers in the future will be equipped with body cameras.

The mayor added that the Seattle police force is in a state of evolution and continues to improve in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. He noted that even President Barack Obama has praised Seattle for the strides the city has taken. He also referenced the Black Lives Matter movement as an example of the challenges police forces face as they make changes.

Related: How many cops does Seattle need?

“The very need to recognize that black lives matter is the result of systemic, institutional failures to address racism in our society,” he said. “Even in progressive Seattle, we inherited a police force under a federal consent decree, because of patterns of constitutional violations over use of force, and serious concerns over racially biased policing.”

Seattle, according to Murray, has made great strides toward compliance with goals set by a federal monitor with the DOJ.

Shortly after the mayor’s speech, the Department of Justice announced that Seattle has officially reached nine out of 15 formal assessments. A federal monitor concluded that “there has been real, tangible, and objective change in the way Seattle police are interacting, compassionately and with an eye towards treatment, with those in crisis.”

The assessment notes that Seattle police are: dispatching a large trained force of crisis intervention officers in a majority of instances; using force in less than 2 percent of instances, and when they do use force, 80 percent is the lowest level of force; and guiding people in crisis to social services rather than arresting them and placing them in jail.

Sign up for breaking news alerts

MyNorthwest News

Image: A Seattle Police Department vehicle can be seen on Aurora Avenue North in Seattle....

Luke Duecy

Aurora Avenue drive-by suspect due in court

The man arrested and charged in connection with a drive-by shooting along Aurora Avenue in Seattle last month is set to be arraigned today. Prosecutors say Ladaiquiri Jones Jr., 23, was driving a stolen SUV and harassing sex workers when another car arrived, leading to a shootout. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on January […]

1 hour ago

Dog...

Frank Lenzi

Meet Ryan: Seattle Police comfort dog supporting victims of abuse

The Seattle Police Department is giving a shout-out to one of its dogs: "Ryan" is a 4 ½-year-old yellow English Labrador Retriever.

1 hour ago

(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)...

Frank Lenzi and Associated Press

Sen. Murray to address impact of Trump funding freeze

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) will hold a virtual press conference today to highlight how she believes President Trump's funding freeze is putting energy jobs at risk in Washington and across the country.

2 hours ago

Businesses in North Bend prepare for cold weather. (Courtesy KIRO-7)...

Samantha Lomibao, KIRO 7 News

Strong winds and freezing rain: North Bend residents and businesses prepare

Businesses and residents in North Bend are bracing for the strong winds that will only add to the freezing temperatures.

2 hours ago

Fatal motorcycle crash closes I-5 South in Mount Vernon. (Courtesy WSDOT)...

Frank Lenzi

Southbound I-5 in Burlington now re-opened after fatal motorcycle crash

The southbound lanes of Interstate 5 are blocked due to a fatal motorcycle crash in Mount Vernon.

3 hours ago

Sounder train...

Luke Duecy

Sounder train service interrupted for several lines. Why the surprise shutdowns?

Sounder train service was interrupted for several lines Thursday morning after their maintenance partner, Amtrak, failed to meet maintenance deadlines to enable the certification of multiple passenger cars. This delayed or stranded thousands of riders from Everett to Tacoma. A Sound Transit spokesperson told KIRO Newsradio Amtrak broke the bad news to them late Wednesday […]

3 hours ago

Mayor Ed Murray: Seattle will hire 200 more police officers