Seattle is still paying for its embrace of anti-police activists
Zachary Faria - Yesterday 3:40 PM
Seattle was one of the hotbeds of anti-police sentiment during the movement to defund police departments. Two years later, the effects are still looming over victims of crime.
According to an internal memo from Captain Steve Hirjak from May 17, the Seattle Police Department has not been able to assign detectives to sexual abuse cases with adult victims due to a police shortage. “With our current shortages, we are currently leaving an average of 4.6 cases unassigned per week,” the memo read. The sexual assault unit typically had 10 to 12 detectives before the pandemic. Now it has just five, with one of them being added just two months ago.
Chief Adrian Diaz has said that the police department has lost nearly 100 detectives compared to four years ago. The city is on track to lose nearly 200 officers by the end of the year. The police department has a goal of 1,400 officers but currently has 838, with recruiting lagging as more departures loom.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/seattle-is-still-paying-for-its-embrace-of-anti-police-activists/ar-AAY18Fh?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=de80498441c843ea927051d3cd142f65
