To the Members of the Seattle Police Department – The mission of the Seattle Police Department centers on preventing and responding to criminal behavior. Throughout my time on the department, and I am sure long before then, we have repeatedly said that Patrol 911 Response is the backbone of the… [ Keep reading ]
August 3rd, 2020Lorena González, President and Lisa Herbold, Public Safety ChairSeattle City Council, City Hall600 Fourth Ave, 2nd FloorSeattle, WA 98104Re: Intimidation of Public Officials and Employees Dear President González, Chairwoman Herbold, and Seattle City Council Members:I wanted to update you on recent events, particularly those that occurred late last… [ Keep reading ]
July 23, 2020Lorena González, President and Lisa Herbold, Public Safety ChairSeattle City Council, City Hall600 Fourth Ave, 2nd FloorSeattle, WA 98104 Re: City Council Ordinance 119805 – Crowd Control Tools Dear President González, Chairwoman Herbold, and Seattle City Council Members: SPD has confirmed with the City Attorney’s Office that the… [ Keep reading ]
Today Chief Best sent a message to officers to convey the financial outlook of the City and address any future cuts that may happen within SPD. While no decisions have been made yet, we wanted the community to be aware of the situation. Laying off 50% of the department would be catastrophic for public safety in the city… [ Keep reading ]
June 22, 2020 To the Seattle Community: The last few weeks in Seattle – beginning on May 25th, 2020, when George Floyd was murdered by a City of Minneapolis Police Officer – have been the most transformative and challenging moments, in my lifetime, for our City, and for the Seattle… [ Keep reading ]
Please watch this video for an update about the situation at the East Precinct and my message to each and every one of you. Stay safe and take care of one another. Carmen Best Chief of Police 6/11/20 11:05am *Point of clarification. We are only releasing this publicly after hearing… [ Keep reading ]
I want to update you on events of today and tonight. Currently, we are still addressing a number of groups of offenders who continue to assault officers and loot the downtown core, indiscriminately. The National Guard is assisting in controlling the situation downtown. At last update we had arrested 27… [ Keep reading ]
Every year, the Seattle Police Department facilitates over 300 free speech events, the vast majority without incident or arrest. Our policies and training are built around maximizing the exercise of free speech without officer intervention. The Seattle Police Department will continue to support the peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights…. [ Keep reading ]
To the Men and Women of the Seattle Police Department: I wanted to take a moment to address the tragic murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department officer. In the video, we hear Mr. Floyd’s repeated calls for help. We hear him say over and over again that… [ Keep reading ]
The following information is accurate May 18, 2020 at 7:00 AM Seattle Police Department (SPD) employees in either Quarantine or Isolation: 18 SPD employees who have returned to work based on Public Health guidelines: 324 SPD employees who have tested positive for COVID-19: 7 SPD employees who have been tested… [ Keep reading ]