Officers departing the Seattle Police Department left scathing comments in exit interviews, telling a story of widespread discontent in the ranks over perceived micromanagement and a lack of support from city leaders.
According to KUOW Radio, officers cited "hyper-aggressive oversight" and "non-supportive city government" as reasons for making lateral transfers to neighboring agencies such as Tacoma, Renton, Kent, and Puyallup.
Other officers blamed their departures on rhetoric from the Seattle City Council, city politics in general.
Many of the departing officers complained about the Office of Police Accountability, which investigates allegations of police misconduct, with one officer saying, "It felt like officers were guilty until proven otherwise, while our suspects were presumed innocent."
