Councilmember Tammy Morales voted no. Councilmembers Joy Hollingsworth and Cathy Moore were absent.
The current iteration of the Seattle Police Department’s bonus program has been in place since July 2022 to address staffing shortages. It provided a hiring bonus of up to $30,000 to experienced officers from other departments, known as lateral hires, and $7,500 for new recruits. The program was set to end at the close of 2024.
The mayor and Council have argued that the increased bonuses are necessary to compete with Seattle’s neighbors for a limited pool of potential applicants.
“We need to be able to compete with neighboring jurisdiction[s] when it comes to attracting applications
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