(EVENING UPDATE: Archived video of briefing now viewable above)

2:06 PM: Just under way (and viewable above via Seattle Channel), Mayor Jenny Durkan, Police Chief Carmen Best, and Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz are holding a media briefing announced as “to discuss the Mayor’s decision regarding the 2020 rebalanced budget and the recent increase in gun violence incidents in Seattle.” The “rebalanced budget” is what the City Council finalized last week, including cuts to SPD and other city departments. We’ll add notes as this goes.

The mayor says the city expects leaders to work together and notes that she and council leaders have struck a deal on added emergency spending. She notes that the overall budget hole is $326 million but the city’s managed to launch new programs for pandemic-related relief anyway.

But she says she is vetoing the overall budget bill, amid disagreements with the council on the police and human-services budgets. (She also vetoed other spending bills including the $3 million that was to go to community organizations for researching community-safety plans.) She says that with SPD leaders, they’re examining the budget closely – what the council passed would “mire the city” in problems, maybe even lawsuits. “Alternative programs” need to be in place – not just under discussion – before current ones are cut, she says. She also expresses hope for collaboration with council leadership. (The council could override the veto. However, its 2-week end of summer break is about to begin.)

GUN VIOLENCE: Shots-fired incidents are up dramatically in the city, she says – 116 since June 1st, a 55 percent increase. (The Southwest Precinct commander has noted an increase in our area too, though smaller, as we reported earlier this week.) She talks about community programs’ role in prevention, and turns the mic over to Interim Chief-to-be Diaz.

2:20 PM: He begins with an update on 3 murder cases – including the suitcase-bodies double murder whose victims were found at Duwamish Head, mentioning what was announced yesterday – the arrest of a Burien man. (The other two cases in which arrests have just been made were not in West Seattle.) He says SPD’s homicide clearance rate since 2012 has averaged 71 percent – while the national rate is in the 60s.

Then Diaz goes into stats, saying shots-fired incidents are up nationwide as well as locally. “We have to stop the shootings, the injuries, the dying right now,” he says. “We need the entire city to come together and end gun violence.” He makes way for Chief Best, who says this is probably her last media briefing “for the city of Seattle.” She asks everyone in the city to “please support Chief Adrian Diaz” in his new role. “Support him, support each other, let’s make sure we have good community safety going forward.” The mayor gives the chief a bouquet of flowers, then it’s on to Q&A.

First: The mayor’s asked how she’ll try to work out a deal on the police budget with the council. She says the main sticking points are the elimination of the Navigation Team, the leadership salary cuts, and the proposed 100-officer reduction, but she has hope for collaboration. On followup, she says that “they’ve agreed to sit down and talk about those things.” Regarding next year’s budget – she’ll be sending a plan to the council in just a month – she says the discussions will have to continue into next year. She also promises “the community” – not just advocacy groups – will have a significant say.

In response to another question, she says she hasn’t been talking to the police union. Then: Does she see a smaller police department in the future? Maybe, maybe not – it could be a smaller department with more patrol officers, for example, after some functions move to other departments. On the final question, she reiterated that she’s hopeful there’s a “path forward” to work out something with the council. She says the council’s impending break shouldn’t complicate matters as they have a month or so to deal with a veto.

2:58 PM: The briefing concludes. We’ll substitute the archived video above when it’s available.

EVENING UPDATE: The video is added.

(WSB file photo)

11:13 AM: One day after the City Council finalized budget cuts for Seattle Police, as a “first step” toward a dramatic change in public-safety delivery, there’s a big change that wasn’t in their legislation: Chief Carmen Best is leaving, two years after her promotion. Right now she and Mayor Jenny Durkan are holding a media briefing to discuss her plan to depart, and SPD’s future – you can click into Seattle Channel‘s livestream here (update: replaced with archived video):

We’ll add notes as it goes.

(Note – the video feed seems to be lagging so we’re taking notes from a listen line.) “When you know it’s time to go, it’s time to go,” opens Best, saying she “has no regrets. .. I love this department, I love this city,” and she tells her staff they will “always be in her heart.” She says she is “grateful” to Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz for agreeing to serve as interim chief, and declares him “more than ready” for the role. She says she has an “ask for the community” – “find a way to work together to put aside” personal & political conflict to “create solutions” for the city’s future. Her tone is very upbeat as she thanks a variety of supporters and co-workers, including department heads who are at the event. “I’m sorry to leave in some ways” – and she turns the mic over to the mayor.

Durkan begins with her voice cracking with emotion. “We’re facing an unprecedented crisis” – from the pandemic to systemic racism. “It’s been a hard, hard year, and today’s a hard, hard day.” She hails Best’s leadership and says she’s certain she’ll be leading elsewhere: “I wish she was staying.” Durkan says she and Best have had “many conversations” in recent weeks about her desire to retire. “Losing her is a deep loss for our city.” She says Best has dramatically diversified both the department and its leadership team. She says Best would have been “the right person to reimagine policing in this city” and says “deep conversation with community” was already under way, as were changes including collaborative policing and the return of Community Service Officers. After much touting of Best’s attributes, Durkan turns to recent events – ” “in the midst of disagreement, I hope we can find common ground” and then says she is “mystif(ied)” that the council didn’t consult Best. She assails the council for voting to cut Best’s salary, and no other department heads. “My message to the city council is and has always been, I remain willing to work with you.” But she also says she’ll uphold contracts; and she says transformation is “hard, painful work … the road is long.” She adds, “Council, if you want to go far, we have to go together.”

11:34 AM: Now she is talking about Deputy Chief Diaz: “I am certain he will continue this hard work.” He then takes the microphone, first with words of appreciation for the departing chief. “Our department has had some hard times” in his years, but this is “the most challenging,” he says, then insisting the department is committed to reform. The department already has “the nation’s most robust accountability” system, he says. But “we know much more is demanded of us” and he promises “we’re listening to you.”

11:41 AM: Now Q&A. Would Best work with the council now if they asked? She says now it’s up to Chief Diaz. Was there a last straw? She said she was disappointed not to see “a plan going forward,” and then reads a gratitude email from a recently hired Black officer, then saying she would likely have to lay him off under the council’s plan, subsequently saying: “Can’t do it.” She then says the council’s decisions show a “lack of respect for the officers.” In response to another question, she says their vote to cut her pay and that of her command staff seemed “vindictive” and “personal,” so maybe departing “will help the city and department move forward.” In response to another question, she says again that she doesn’t want to have to lay people off. And also, in terms of “political grandstanding,” she says, “I’m done with that.”

The mayor says she does not plan to launch a search for a permanent police chief this year: “What job would they be applying for?” A short time later, she also notes that the “unpredictable” budget climate would likely make it impossible to attract a good candidate.

12 PM: The mayor also gets in a dig at the council by noting none of them called to ask about the officers injured in protests that turned violent. … The chief says she was particularly “offended” that the council would “even consider” cutting her command staff’s salaries (a move she also called “illegal”). The mayor then accused the council of playing “mini-police chief” in trying to micro-manage the SPD budget. They could and should have given the chief a number to meet in cuts, and to let her decide how.

How will Chief Diaz try to work with the council as the 2021 budget process gets under way? He says he looks forward to them contacting him. The mayor, meantime, has said multiple times that she wants to hear from “all of Seattle” in crafting the future of public safety. She’s asked a while later about her harsh words for the council and how that’ll lead to collaboration. “I am willing to work with them, and I think we need to work together,” she says. “I want to work with this council.”

12:23 PM: Best gets the final word as the event ends, saying she has faith the city and the people in it “will do what’s right.” We’ll substitute the archived video above when it’s available.

1:30 PM: West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold has issued a statement about the chief’s departure, calling it a “staggering loss.” Read her entire statement here.

4:36 PM: Six more councilmembers’ statements:
*Joint statement from Councilmembers Lorena González, Teresa Mosqueda, Tammy Morales
*Statement from Councilmember Debora Juarez
*Statement from Councilmember Andrew Lewis
*Statement from Councilmember Alex Pedersen
(added 10:02 pm) *Statement from Councilmember Dan Strauss
(added Thursday) Statement from Councilmember Kshama Sawant

(Archived video of morning Budget Committee meeting)
10:38 AM: The Seattle City Council has just reconvened as the Select Budget Committee, continuing their consideration of cuts to departments including SPD. The agenda is here, including details of what’s up for discussion/voting. The briefing meeting earlier this morning hinted at some changes to their proposals; also of note, the mayor’s office announced this morning that a new forecast predicts a worse budget crunch than previously predicted. You can watch via Seattle Channel‘s livestream above. The meeting is starting with public comment.

1:30 PM: The Budget Committee meeting has adjourned; the council is scheduled to reconvene at 2 pm for the regular weekly meeting, which will include some final votes.

2:04 PM: They’ve pushed back that start time so their staff can complete all the paperwork from the amendment votes in the budget meeting – they’re now set to restart at 2:45 pm.

5:32 PM: They’ve finished the vote that included SPD cuts. You’ll see a lot of reactions, so there’s a separate followup ahead, but one big thing of note: The council did NOT vote to “defund” SPD by anything in the vicinity of 50 percent. The cuts they approved, for SPD and other departments, are for the rest of this year, with next year’s budget-planning process beginning in a matter of weeks. They approved some SPD cuts that would total about 100 of 1,400 positions (including 30 expected to be lost by attrition) – here’s a summary from a news release sent by Council President Lorena González’s office:

Cuts include:

Cut 32 officers from patrol – $533,000
Reduced specialized units including officers assigned to mounted unit, school resource officers, homeland security, harbor patrol, SWAT team – $250,000
Removed officers from Navigation Team, ensuring homeless neighbors are not retraumatized by armed patrol officers – $216,000
Reduced staff budget through recognizing expected attrition – $500,000
Reduced administrative costs, including salaries, community outreach, public affairs
Cut $56,000 from training and travel expenses
Cut recruitment and retention – $800,000
Transferred victim advocates from SPD to Human Services Department – $377,000 impact
Removed two sworn officer positions from the 911 Emergency Call Center

But the council also acknowledged that the authority to decide what and who to cut rests with Police Chief Carmen Best, so their stipulations are more a request than an order. They also voted to start exploring creation of a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention (the same name Minneapolis has looked at for something more sweeping) to handle functions that could be moved from SPD in the future.

Tomorrow, in two meetings, the City Council is set to finalize changes to the pandemic-battered 2020 budget, including proposed cuts to the Seattle Police Department. First they meet as the Select Budget Committee at 10 am; here’s that agenda. Then the final vote is set for the afternoon council meeting at 2 pm; that agenda is here. Both agendas have information on how to watch as well as how to comment, via email as well as “live” during the meeting (signups for those comment periods start two hours before the meetings – so, at 8 am and noon).

10:08 AM: At City Hall right now, three city councilmembers, including West Seattle/South Park’s Lisa Herbold, are holding a news conference explaining the police-budget plan. The council’s president, Lorena González, is speaking first. “We as a council are unified” and want to talk with the mayor and chief, she says, adding that she’s sent a letter offering chances to meet with them.

10:15 AM: Herbold speaks now. “Reimagining” does in fact begin with ideas that “may not at first seem realistic,” she contends. She talks about the importance of activists’ and advocates’ involvement. The goal is to “reduce the footprint of armed police officers'” response to calls, she says, noting that 56 percent of 911 calls are of types that could be handled in other ways. She and González both renewed their call for SPD to cut positions “out of order” rather than the standard “last hired, first fired.”

10:21 AM: Councilmember Tammy Morales, saying her district is home to people who are “overpoliced,” is speaking now. “The mayor and police chief have sought to undermine our credibility,” she declares. Like the other two, she also emphasizes that the public-safety reinvention is part of something going on nationwide – a “racial reckoning … (which) is here and we can’t let it slip away without dramatic, impactful change, even if it makes us uncomfortable. … This council is working hard to restructure community safety … We invite the mayor to walk alongside us, or step out of the way.”

10:31 AM: They’re in Q&A now. One question involves what will be done about homelessness response with the plan to eliminate the Navigation Team. Organizations that are already working in social services will do the work – with increased outreach – they reply, while adding that other programs such as other departments’ trash collection will not be affected.”The Navigation Team … has a dismal success rate … in comparison to our third-party providers,” González says.

11:17 AM: The briefing has ended. We’ll substitute the archived video above when it’s available.

12:27 PM: You can now see that video above or here. Meantime, SPD has announced that it “will be launching a Re-envisioning Public Safety website, outlining what SPD is doing to engage the community and working toward change,” with a media event at 2:30 this afternoon.

(Click to watch live via Seattle Channel)

10:07 AM: The City Council has reconvened as the Select Budget Committee, with proposed SPD cuts first on the agenda, right after public comment, which has just begun. Here’s the agenda, with documents.

10:32 AM: Public comment (with all but the last of two dozen-plus speakers voicing support for “defunding”) is over. Budget chair Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is now addressing the turmoil over the issue. She’s followed by council president Councilmember Lorena González. Both take issue with the mayor’s contention that the council is taking action without a plan. “The simple fact is that the mayor does not like our plan,” she declared. “It’s easier to be critical of other people’s plans than to be creative with your own.” She extends an “open public invitation” to the mayor and chief to collaborate. Both stress that a larger process/conversation begins with next year’s budget process, launching in a matter of weeks. Councilmember Kshama Sawant then spoke to say her colleagues need to do more; Councilmember Debora Juarez suggested the speeches be held until the specific items are considered.

10:58 AM: And with that, they’re on to the actual proposals. They can’t vote on what’s under agenda item #1, they’re told, before next week. First item is one co-sponsored by Councilmember Lisa Herbold that would break individual precincts back into individual SPD budget items, as they used to be before SPD combined them into one “patrol operations” item. This among other things could be a pre-emptive strike against an individual precinct closure such as the chief’s mention weeks ago that budget cuts could lead to closing the Southwest Precinct.

11:53 AM: Voting has begun. We won’t be able to monitor because we are moving on to the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting at noon, but will catch up later – and you can still tune in via the stream above.

2:20 PM: Checking back on the council, they’ve reconvened after a break; they’re on Amendment 45 (again, here’s the agenda).

4:53 PM: The meeting is wrapping up. No final votes yet – the council meets again as the Select Budget Committee at 10 am Monday. (added) What’s advanced so far does not amount to a 50 percent cut, but it does include some major changes, including cutting police-brass salaries and ending the Navigation Team.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT NOTE: Media briefing announced for 10 am Thursday: “Council President M. Lorena González and Councilmembers Lisa Herbold, Tammy J. Morales will hold a press conference on Thursday at City Hall to clarify with the public the Council’s plan for meaningful community investments this year to improve public safety for everyone, especially Black, brown and Indigenous communities in Seattle.”

2:16 PM: Just under way, 15 minutes later than originally announced, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best are having a news conference to “discuss the City Council’s proposed 2020 cuts to the Seattle Police Department.” Tomorrow, councilmembers are scheduled to vote on the amendments that would lay the groundwork for those cuts (here’s our Monday coverage). You can watch live via Seattle Channel‘s stream, above or here; we’ll add notes as it goes.

The mayor opens by re-stating that she had originally proposed a $20 million cut in the 2020 SPD budget, with the chief’s involvement, because of the city’s COVID-19-related budget crunch – and that they already have proposed an additional $76 million in changes for next year. She insists, “The chief and I share the goal of much of Seattle” of “reimagining policing.” Then she notes that the council has to some degree changed its tune on halving this year’s remaining SPD budget, and says that “the council is looking in the right places but in the wrong year.” She contends that the council is still proposing something “all but impossible,” an almost immediate 100-officer cut. She also contends the council’s suggestion that the chief pursue “out of order” layoffs so that those cuts wouldn’t come from the newest, most-diverse recruits would be an unimaginably red-taped process. She also says it’s short-sighted for councilmembers to cut “data-driven policing” and “implicit-bias training.”

2:28 PM: She’s all but pleading for collaboration with the council and says she spoke today with its president, Councilmember Lorena González. Then she says she’s disappointed that to date the council has not spoken with the chief, who she calls a “national leader.” Another plea to the council: “Take the time to get this right. … We will only get this right if we work together.”

2:37 PM: The chief takes the microphone and begins by saying she and SPD have “heard loud and clear” the calls for change. She defends the department as a national leader in reform “and we have more planned.” She acknowledges “we can function better (and) more equitably. … We implore you to hold us accountable.” Regarding the council’s specific proposals, she says some are good ideas but lack “a plan.” She says she can’t make dozens of layoffs all but immediately without a plan to “bridge the gap” in services that she says would result. She says it’s up to her to figure out how to deploy her staff to ensure public safety, not “granular” instructions from the council, which she calls an attempt to manage SPD’s “day to day” operations. She also brings up the council’s proposal to cut the Public Affairs Unit, which she says would slow down getting information to the public. She also says the department wants to “hear from every member of the community.”

2:55 PM: In Q&A, the chief is asked (among other things) whether she agrees with the council’s expectation that 30 officer jobs can be cut via attrition – not necessarily, she says, absent clairvoyance. Responding to another question, the mayor says she agrees the department could have a smaller “footprint” of armed officers but that takes planning. “We shouldn’t be looking just at the numbers of how many police we have (but also) we should invest in community.”

3:07 PM: The mayor wraps with a plea for “working together.”

WHAT’S NEXT: We’ll add the archived video when it’s available. Meantime, the council’s budget meeting is scheduled for 10 am tomorrow (Wednesday, August 5).

4:26 PM: Video added.

10:40 AM: Under way online, the Seattle City Council is meeting as the Select Budget Committee in two sessions today – one under way now, and a second session scheduled to start at 2 pm. After weeks of discussion, this afternoon is when councilmembers are considering specific Seattle Police-related amendments to this year’s budget. Those amendments finally started appearing in the system last night/this morning – here are the more than three dozen proposed SPD-related amendments:

After today’s discussions – which include other budget cuts too (here’s the full agenda packet), as the city deals with a nine-digit revenue loss because of the pandemic-sparked economic crunch – a final vote is expected next Monday morning. Contact info for the council is here.

P.S. To clarify, what the council is doing right now relates only to the 2020 (current) budget – an entirely separate process later this year will focus on next year’s budget, police and otherwise.

2:04 PM: The council has just convened the second session. Apparently the final vote, at least on these, will not be Monday – “discussion” next Monday and Wednesday has been mentioned. Also mentioned – by Councilmember Debora Juarez – the fact that the amendments came out late last night/early this morning, so no one’s had a ton of time to review then,

2:16 PM: Council staff says the amendments will be voted on next Wednesday (August 5).

5:53 PM; The council just adjourned. They have mire amendments left to discuss Monday, 10 am-ish.

(WSB file photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

One week ago, political war broke out over the concept of “defunding” the Seattle Police Department.

Days earlier, after a discussion with advocates, seven of the City Council‘s nine members voiced support for the idea of halving the SPD budget. No specific legislation was (or is) proposed, yet. But a week ago Friday, Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s office went public with a letter from Police Chief Carmen Best saying a 50 percent budget cut for her department would, among other things, require drastic action, perhaps closing the Southwest Precinct.

The mayor and chief followed up with a Monday media briefing during which they offered a counterproposal of cuts – for next year.

Two days later, the council discussed “defunding” again while meeting as the Select Budget Committee. With some confusion over what has and hasn’t happened so far, we’re taking a look at where the discussion stands and what happens next – not just via that meeting itself, but via a conversation Friday afternoon with West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee and is a “defunding” supporter.

Read More

10:36 PM: Last Friday night, we reported on Police Chief Carmen Best‘s letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan, saying that closing the Southwest Precinct would be a likely effect if the SPD budget were halved. The letter followed news of a majority of City Councilmembers voicing support for cutting this year’s SPD budget, though no specific legislation is out yet.

(Added: Seattle Channel video)
This morning, the mayor and chief have just wrapped up a media briefing with their counterproposals: They say they can cut $76 million from the department’s $400 mlllion budget – next year. The mayor decried the council’s voiced support for an immediate 50 percent cut as “irresponsible.” She also criticized councilmembers for taking the stand without talking to the chief or to constituents. Durkan said next year’s cuts could be accomplished via moving the 911 call center out of SPD, moving parking enforcement from SPD to SDOT, and moving the Office of Emergency Management and Office of Professional Accountability out of SPD. Those, she said, would save $56 million, while another $20 million could be cut via a hiring freeze and overtime reductions. In followup Q&A, the mayor said her intention for OPA would be to make it a standalone independent agency. The mayor also voiced hope that some councilmembers will relent.

Meantime, the Southwest Precinct’s new commander, Capt. Kevin Grossman, posted an introductory message to social media today, including this:

I also want to address the initiative making its way through City Council to defund the Seattle Police Department by 50%. Last week, Chief Best communicated to the Council–and to the public–the reality of what those cuts would look like, including the elimination of half of our workforce and the Southwest Precinct itself. When I started with SPD, my training included rotations through three different precincts, including the South Precinct. At that time, officers from that facility had to commute across the Duwamish to respond to calls for service in West Seattle. Just the drive alone resulted in long response times–sometimes exacerbated by boat or train traffic. I can only imagine what response times would be today from the Rainier Valley with the West Seattle Bridge closed. Further, in my humble opinion, it is simply unconscionable for a city of over 700,000 people to be staffed by a police department with only 630 employees.

There was no further discussion in this morning’s mayor/chief briefing, by the way, of the chief’s suggestions such as possibly closing the precinct. And again, from the council’s side, there’s no formal proposal yet, but the council meets again on Wednesday as the Select Budget Committee (the basic agenda has just appeared online) and that’s one place a proposal might emerge. We have had a request for comment out since Friday to District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold; as of now, still no reply.

3:51 PM: Just watched the Seattle Channel recording of the council’s “morning briefing” meeting, which overlapped with the mayor/chief briefing. Most councilmembers repeated their support for dramatic change in the SPD, including Herbold, whose turn comes at 1 hour, 17 minutes in, with her turning to the SPD topic after four minutes.

She noted that action is not imminent, saying the council is “in the beginning stages of developing proposals.” She also took issue with a couple points of what the chief’s letter to the mayor said would likely be necessary if a 50 percent cut were to be implemented immediately. For one, she contended that the chief would have an option other than to lay off newer officers first, via the “out of order” process (though the chief said earlier that it’s “complicated”). Regarding the chief’s suggestion that the Southwest Precinct could be closed, Herbold noted only that the city charter requires “adequate police protection for all areas.”