Spin
Mayor Wilson isn’t cutting SPD, she’s raising its budget by $68M (13.9%), more than any other department.
Budget
Mayor’s Budget Caps SPD Growth at 1,250 for Two Years
Is 1,250 a cap on SPD staffing? Central Staff analyst Greg Doss told the Select Budget Committee it is “not a cap,” but “a limitation on the amount of money” for the sworn force, which Council can raise in future years. Public Safety Chair Kettle called 1,250 “a PR number” and said the city is “landing, but we’re below glideslope” on restoring officer staffing.
The Mayor's budget sets SPD staffing at 1,250 FTEs but the real fight is over what “1,250” means.
The Mayor’s proposed budget raises SPD spending by $68 million in 2027. That may sound like a lot, but $56.5M of it pays for the SPOG and SPMA contracts negotiated last year, and $12.6M funds the Sworn Staffing Plan at 1,250 FTE. That plan assumes 43 net new officers in 2027 (128 hires, 85 separations), then no net growth in 2028, when 79 hires replace 79 departures.
Doss called the approach “a paradigm shift” in how police are budgeted and managed. Rather than setting an officer target and letting the department race toward it, the Executive sets a funding level and hires within it and the budget sets aside sworn-salary money at the 1,250-FTE level for 2027.
KEY STATS
- $68M (+13.9%): SPD’s proposed 2027 increase over 2026 adopted, including $56.5M for ongoing labor costs and $12.6M “to fund the SPD Sworn Staffing Plan at 1,250 FTE.” Source: Central Staff SPD Overview, pp. 1, 5
- 43 → 0: net new officers in 2027, then none in 2028 (128 hires and 85 separations, then 79 and 79). Source: Central Staff SPD Overview, p. 5, Table 2
- 1,229 vs. 1,250: the department “needs funding for 1,229 FTE (not 1,250 FTE)” in 2027, leaving roughly $4.5M, of which $2.5M would transfer and about $2.0M is overfunding. Source: Central Staff SPD Overview, p. 6
- 1,125: deployable officers when staffing “eventually” plateaus, with 1,174 fully trained, at continued 1,250 FTE funding. Source: Central Staff SPD Overview, p. 7, Figure 4
- 485 vs. 668: patrol officers responding to 911 calls in Aug. 2026 versus Sept. 2020. Source: Central Staff SPD Overview, p. 9, Table 4
Receipts
- SponsorMayor's proposed budget; analysis by Council Central Staff (Greg Doss)
- CommitteeSelect Budget Committee
- VoteNone (briefing only)
- Fiscal note$488.6M in 2026 -> $556.5M proposed for 2027 ($68 million increase )
Reality
With net hires falling from 95 in 2025 and 53 in 2026 to 43 in 2027 and zero in 2028, the Mayor’s budget ends the two-year push to rebuild SPD staffing and holds SPD flat at 1,250 funded FTEs.
Budget documents
The documents behind this brief. Saved PDFs preserve the version we read; original links may change.
SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT (SPD): OVERVIEW & POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
CENTRAL STAFF ANALYST: GREG DOSS
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