Seattle Police Department

Year-to-Date Attrition Levels

2021 Projected Attrition Levels; Service
Impacts
October 14, 2020

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 SEATTLE POLICE STAFFING, 2010-2020 YTD
(WITH ACTUALS THROUGH 9/30/2020)
1500
• SPD’s funded FTE count (orange line) increased by 72
1450
1,422
FTE, or 5%, from 2010 to 2020. (Note, SPD was
authorized for 1,497 positions in 2020; however, the
1400 2020 Adopted Budget funded a maximum of 1,422).
1350
1,367
• 58 of the new sworn positions were specifically added
after 2012 to satisfy Consent Decree requirements (e.g.,
1300 span of control, unity of command, etc.).
1250 • The remainder were meant to increase capacity in
Patrol.
1,203
1200
• During this period, SPD realized a net increase of around
1150
25 sworn officers (i.e., employees), while the actual
number of officers in service decreased by 35. (Note,
1100 2020 counts are impacted by sworn hiring freeze, COVID
FEB

FEB
SEP

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SEP
NOV

AUG

NOV

AUG
JUL

JUL
JUN

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JUN
MAY

MAR

MAY

MAR
JAN

JAN

JAN
APR

APR
DEC

OCT

DEC

OCT
and other factors.)
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
• Meanwhile, the population of Seattle grew 23%.
Funded FTE All Sworn + Recruits Officers in service
(Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 and 2019 estimates)

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
2
 DETERMINING SWORN STAFFING REQUIREMENTS
• A comparison of sworn officers per 100k 9,000,000 600

points to the existence of three distinct 8,000,000

groupings: 100-200 (Seattle, Austin), 200-300 500

Sworn Officers per 100,000 Population

(Denver, SF) or 300+ (Boston, NYC). Overview 7,000,000

at right for reference only. 6,000,000 400

City Population
In Seattle, we use a variety of tools and
5,000,000
measures to make staffing decisions. 300
Recurring assessment allows SPD to address 4,000,000

shifting needs and priorities. 185

3,000,000 200
• 911 Response Models: 1) Urban Police Patrol
2,000,000
Analysis (i.e., “MPP”; developed by MIT) and 100
2) Michigan State University Performance- 1,000,000
Based Staffing Model
0 0
• Best Practice Guidelines are followed for
Detective Caseloads (limited to select
functions)
• National Security Guidelines for Specialty
Functions (e.g., SWAT) Population Officers/ 100K

(Source: 2019 FBI Uniform Crime Report data )

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
3
 DETERMING SPECIALTY UNIT STAFFING LEVELS
Specialty Unit Staffing Levels
Specialty Units with Best Practice Minimums • There are national best practice case load models for Homicide and
Unit Minimum Staffing Sexual Assault units
• Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) sets SWAT staffing minimums
Homicide/Assault Detectives 24 for urban areas based on size/exposure
Sexual Assault Unit 15
• Best practice workload measures for internet crimes against children
SWAT Unit 24
Internet Crimes Against Children 9
(ICAC) and trafficking units to protect detectives from extreme
Total 72 trauma

Consent Decree-related Unit Staffing Levels

Consent Decree Units
Unit
Audit, Policy, Research
Force Investigation Team
Force Review Unit
Training Unit
Office of Police Accountability
Total
• Each of these units is responsible for duties mandated by the Consent
Decree
Needed Staffing
• Any decrease in their staffing could put the City at risk of violating
10
elements of the settlement agreement/sustainment plan
11 • OPA determines their staffing needs
5 • These are specific unit demands; there are other department-wide
54 staffing issues implicated in the Consent Decree including sufficient
9 staffing for non-solo dispatch, supervisor incident review, and overall
89 supervisor span of control and continuity of command.

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 2020 MONTHLY SEPARATION STATISTICS
Separations of Sworn officers
• SPD typically separates 5-7 officers in 45

September 40

35

Number of Officers Leaving SPD

• The number of separations in September 30
2020 are double the next-highest month on
25
record.
20

• Because 2018 separation levels (blue line) 15

were higher than previous years, the Mayor 10

and Council initiated the Recruitment and 5

Retention Initiative in 2019. 0

2018 2019 2020

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 2020 STAFFING OVERVIEW
YTD ATTRITION: SPD LOST 39 OFFICERS IN SEPTEMBER
1500

• SPD’s August staffing report showed 1,406 1450

1,422
sworn + recruits and 1,247 officers-in-
1400
service 1,406

• In September alone, SPD separated 36 1350

fully trained police officers and 3

officers in training. 1300

• In addition, 14 officers were added to the 1250

extended leave roster. 1,247

• As a result, the number of officers 1200 1,203

in service decreased from 1,247 to

1150
1,203 in a single month.
• The sworn + recruit count decreased from 1100

SEP

SEP
SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP
JAN

JAN

JAN
MAY

MAY

MAY
JAN
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MAY

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JAN
MAY

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MAY

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JAN

MAY
1,406 to 1,367.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
• All data past the dotted line is a projection Funded FTE All Sworn + Recruits Officers in service
based on historical averages.

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 YTD
YTDSEPARATIONS BY YEARS
SEPARATIONS BY YEARS OF SVC
IN SERVICE
45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
Less than 5 5-10 Years 11-15 Years 16-20 Years 21-25 Years More than 25 Years
Termination 4 1 0 0 1 0
Deceased 0 0 0 1 0 0
Resignation 28 12 8 3 2 0
Retirement 0 0 1 0 9 40

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 90
YTD SEPARATIONS BY RACE/ETHNICITY
80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
American Black or African Nat Hawaiian/Oth Pac
White Asian Hispanic or Latino Not Specified Tw o or More
Indian/Alaska Native American Islander
(79 total / (7 total / (7 total / (4 total / (3 total /
(3 total / (7 total / (0 total /
72% of YTD sep.) 6% of YTD sep.) 6% of YTD sep.) 4% of YTD sep.) 3% of YTD sep.)
3% of YTD sep.) 6% of YTD sep.) 0% of YTD sep.)
Comp: 69% of total Comp: 7% of total Comp: 6% of total Comp: 3% of total Comp: 5% of total
Comp: 1% of total Comp: 8% of total Comp: 1% of total
Deceased 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Termination 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 0
Resignation 37 4 0 4 3 3 2 0
Retirement 39 3 3 1 1 3 0 0

* “Comp” is the comparison to the overall SPD sworn force.

Note: % of total based on 9/29/2020.

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 YTD SEPARATIONS
YTD SEPARATIONSBY BUREAU
BY BUREAU
70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Human Resources
Special Operations Collaborative Policing Professional Chief Operating (19)
Patrol (64) Investigations (6) Chief of Police (1)
(15) (3) Standards (1) Officer (1) (incl. Recruits /
Students)
Termination 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Deceased 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Resignation 33 2 1 2 1 0 14 0
Retirement 29 12 5 1 0 1 1 1

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 1500

2021 STAFFING PROJECTIONS 1450

1,422

IF HIRING FREEZE CONTINUES THRU END OF 20201400 1,400

PROJECTIONS
1,406

1 • The chart to the right depicts the

STAFFING
impact of continuing the sworn
1350
1,373
1,382

hiring freeze through the end of 1300

2020. 1,265

• The 2021-2022 projections are 1250

1,247

based on the September staffing 1,247

model and account for the 1200 1,203

September losses.
1150

1100

SEP

SEP

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SEP
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MAY
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MAY

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MAY
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Funded FTE All Sworn + Recruits Officers in service

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 1500

2021 STAFFING PROJECTIONS 1450

1,422
IF HIRING FREEZE CONTINUED THRU END OF 2021 1,400

PROJECTIONS
1400 1,406

1 STAFFING
• If the City continues a sworn hiring
1350

freeze in 2021, SPD’s deployable 1300

staffing level could drop as low as 1,260

1,276
1,139 officers in service by 2022, 1250
1,247
a net change of 154 officers from
1,196
April 2020, even if hiring resumes 1200 1,203

January 1, 2022.
• For comparison, SPD employed 1,271 1150
1,139
sworn officers in 1990. In that time, the
population of Seattle has increased by 1100

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP
SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP

SEP
JAN

JAN

MAY

MAY

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MAY
MAY

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JAN
44% 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Funded FTE All Sworn + Recruits Officers in service

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 2021 HIRING
2021 STAFFING PROJECTIONS
FREEZE PLUS LAYOFF 1500

1450
1,422
IF HIRING FREEZE CONTINUED THRU END OF 2021, 1,400
1400
COUNCIL-PROPOSED 70 OFFICER LAYOFFS 1,406

ANNUALIZED 1350

1•
STAFFING PROJECTIONS
If the City annualizes the 70 layoffs and
1300

1250
1,247
continues a sworn hiring freeze in 2021, 1200 1,203 1,183

SPD’s deployable staffing level could 1,199

drop as low as 1,072 officers in service 1150

1,119

by 2022, a net change of 221 officers 1100

from April 2020, even if hiring resumes
January 1, 2022. 1050 1,072

1000

SEP
SEP

SEP
FEB
FEB

FEB
NOV

AUG

NOV

AUG

NOV
JUL

JUN
JUN

JUL

JUN

JUL
JAN

JAN
MAY

MAR

MAY

JAN
MAR
APR

APR

APR
DEC

DEC

DEC
OCT

OCT
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Funded FTE All Sworn + Recruits Officers in service

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 170

HISTORIC, ACTUAL* &

PROJECTED 911 150

RESPONSE OFFICERS BY
PRECINCT
130

This chart shows the number of officers 110

available for 911 response by precinct. Note
that the scale starts at 50 officers which is
the minimum number needed to efficiently
maintain a single precinct. 90

N.B.: This projection assumes the

continued ability to transition officers
70
into Patrol.

2022 (est.)

2022 (est.)
2021 (est.)
2022 (est.)

2021 (est.)
2022 (est.)

2021 (est.)

2021 (est.)

2021 (est.)
2022 (est.)
*Actuals as of September each year.
2016

2018

2018

2020

2020

2015

2015

2017
2013
2015

2017

2019
2020

2013
2015
2016
2017

2019

2013
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

2013

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

2013

2016

2018
2019
2020
50
EAST PCT NORTH PCT SOUTH PCT SOUTHWEST PCT WEST PCT

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 Median Priority 1 Response Time - East Median Priority 1 Response Times – Median Priority 1 Response Times –
Precinct South Precinct West Precinct
12.00 10 7
6
10.00 8
5
8.00 6 4
6.00 3
4
4.00 2
2.00 2
1
0.00 0 0

East 2019 East 2020 South 2019 South 2020 West 2019 West 2020

Median Priority 1 Response Time – North Median Priority 1 Response Times – SW • Target response time is 7 minutes.
Precinct Precinct • By moving more officers to 911 response
10.00 10 in late Sept. 2020, service response time
9.00 9
8.00 8 decreased to near target.
7.00
6.00
7
6 • As the number of officers for 911
5.00 5
4.00 4
response decrease because of attrition
3.00
2.00
3
2
and/or a hiring freeze, we can expect
1.00
0.00
1 service response times to go up again.
0
• March-April 2020 had faster response
times because of COVID-19 pandemic-
North 2019 North 2020 SW 2019 SW 2020
related factors.

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number
 Precinct Staffing by 100,000 Population
HISTORIC, ACTUAL & 140

PROJECTED 120

PRECINCT STAFFING
PER 100,000 100

RESIDENTS 80

This data shows the officers in each 60

precinct based on available by-precinct

census data and forecasting of both 40

available officers and Seattle’s

projected population growth of 0.8% 20
per year.
0
EAST PCT NORTH PCT SOUTH PCT SOUTHWEST PCT WEST PCT Total

2013 2019 2020 2021 2022

(10/14/2020)
Date (xx/xx/xxxx) Department Name Page Number