Seattle’s public safety departments – particularly the Seattle Police Department (SPD) – have historically received unique treatment and favored allocation of resources, including both money and technological tools. Reviewing recent developments in the City of Seattle, that special treatment does not look to disappear any time soon.

Until it was terminated after 15 years by Judge James Robart last fall, SPD’s consent decree acted as a reminder of the impunity under which SPD had routinely been allowed to operate. The dismissal of the consent decree was postponed after SPD officers responded to the George Floyd protests of 2020 with violence and the indiscriminate use of less lethal weapons such as tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets.

In the final consent decree hearing, Robart repeatedly talked about how the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) contract had “neutered” Seattle’s police accountability ordinance. While utilization of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) team has recently improved following the departure of former SPD Chief Shon Barnes, the SPOG contract has also hampered the CARE team’s ability to respond to appropriate calls.

SPD receives a large share of the City’s discretionary General Fund. Public safety as a whole accounts for 53% of the $2 billion of General Fund expenditures in Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s proposed 2027 budget, and by itself, SPD receives more than a quarter of the total General Fund.

That largesse comes in spite of the lack of fiscal responsibility demonstrated by the department. One recent example: in June of this year, SPD overpaid about 900 of their employees by $13.1 million due to a “payroll error.” Because most of these employees are represented by SPOG, the City will have to negotiate with SPOG to try to recover the bulk of these funds, meaning it could be years before the money returns to the City’s coffers.

Four and a half months after the error, neither the Mayor’s Office nor SPD would comment about whether they have identified the person or persons responsible for this mistake or whether any disciplinary action would be taken.

In addition, neither the Mayor’s Office nor SPD shared any plans to avoid such errors in the future. While the overpayment was one time in nature since it was caused by an error in the calculation of payment of retroactive pay increases provided by recent union contracts, it could presumably be made again the next time new contracts require a similar calculation.