Seattle City Council faces new calls to 'defund' police
A number of city governments have entertained police defunding strategies that could slash law enforcement budgets by millions
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Seattle City Council members were pressed during a Wednesday meeting to divert millions of dollars in funds slated for the police department to community programs, while others endorsed moving 911 dispatchers away from department control.
Both proposals were made by Decriminalize Seattle, a coalition of groups calling to defund the police department by at least 50 percent.
The Seattle Times reported that most 911 calls Seattle police respond to are noncriminal calls, such as disturbances, parking issues and public assistance.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We believe 911 dispatch should be removed from SPD control,” said Angélica Cházaro, a representative from Decriminalize Seattle who was invited to present to the council’s budget committee, according to the newspaper. “911 calls should be referred, whenever appropriate, to non-police responders.”
Chazaro also told the council more than 300 groups have endorsed its demands to reallocate portions of the police department's $409 million budget and the release of protesters arrested amid weeks of chaotic demonstrations without criminal charges.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The time for reforms has passed,” she said. “It’s clear to us now that more training, more accountability measures (for police officers) are not going to cut it. We need to move away from armed responses to social problems.”
Council members Tammy Morales, Kshama Sawant, Teresa Mosqueda and M. Lorena González have said half of the department's budget should be diverted elsewhere, but they were not sure where the funds should go.
Last month, Mayor Jenny Durkan proposed slashing the police budget by $20 million to make up for the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has taken up part of the city's budget, according to the Times.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A top deputy warned the council to hold off on enacting major cuts until a deep analysis is done. Seattle's elected officials have come under scrutiny and criticism in recent weeks for allowing the occupation of several city blocks known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone.
A police officer engages with a protester last week in Seattle, where streets had been blocked off in an area demonstrators had occupied for weeks. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Aside from forbidding police and first responders to enter, the area saw several violent incidents, including a handful of killings.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a Wednesday letter to the council, Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong warned of efforts to defund the police, saying it could lead to layoffs.
"Some of our younger and most diverse officers could be the first cut, defeating the hard work done to recruit officers that reflect and serve their communities," he wrote.
Chazaro noted several defunding initiatives like laying off patrol officers and administrative employees, cutting the police training budget and the halting of approved overtime.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Seattle Police Department did not answer Fox News' calls for comment.