Bills part of the council’s coordinated focus on improving public safety
Today the Seattle City Council overwhelmingly approved legislation, sponsored by Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9), to further accelerate police hiring by offering competitive bonuses to attract the new police recruits from across the country. The full Council also passed Councilmember Bob Kettle’s (District 7) sponsored legislation that clears a path for the City of Seattle to explore new crime prevention technologies to respond to gun violence, human trafficking, and persistent crime including a Closed-Circuit Television System with Real-Time Crime Center Software.
“The City’s greatest responsibility is the safety of our residents, and we must address the issue of losing more officers than we are able to hire,” said Council President Nelson. “Our goal is to attract the best police recruits in the nation to Seattle and we must provide them and their colleagues with the tools to do their jobs most effectively once they are here.”
“Both pieces of legislation build on the City Council’s strategic work this year to improve public safety by expanding tools to accelerate police hiring, improve the technologies available to help police stop crimes in real time, and keep drug-related criminals out of designated areas of the city,” said Councilmember Bob Kettle.
Background
The approved recruitment bill will permanently increase hiring bonuses from $30,000 to a maximum of $50,000, among other incentives. The goal of the legislation is to alleviate SPD’s ongoing staff retention and recruitment challenges, which is at a historic low.
In September Mayor Harrell transmitted legislation to create the Technology Assisted Crime Prevention Pilot Project – a new public safety program that will combine a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) System with Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) software together in one view. The new technology gives SPD new tools to combat gun violence which has increased since last year and disproportionally impacts communities of color.
Since taking office in 2024, the new City Council has prioritized legislation that addresses public safety needs throughout the Seattle community including:
- Updated police contract supporting recruitment and accountability,
- Expansion of tools to accelerate police hiring,
- Expansion of license plate reading technology for police vehicles,
- Expediting the demolition of vacant, unsafe buildings,
- New tools to fight illegal street racing,
- Stay Out of Area Prostitution (SOAP),
- and Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA).
Next steps
As the City Council considers Mayor Bruce Harrell’s 2025-2026 budget, members will continue to prioritize public safety by ensuring funding for offices and departments tasked with preventing crime, preserving public safety and prioritizing investments with the greatest impact to Seattle residents.
# # #