Seattle PD Sees "Mass Exodus" Amid Anti-Police Protests

A city report stated that response times to calls for service have increased, in part due to staffing shortages.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement, "We will continue to improve policing and reimagine community safety in Seattle by shifting some responses to community-based alternatives and civilian programs like Health One or community service Officers. But the city also needs a sufficient number of officers who can respond to the most urgent 911 calls in all parts of our city at any time of the day."

The mayor concluded, "We are losing an unprecedented number of officers, which makes it even more critical that we recruit and retain officers committed to reform and community policing that reflect the diversity and values of our city."

The Seattle Police Department has reportedly lost more than 100 officers in recent weeks, the agency has recently confirmed.

According to KTTH-Radio , the agency lost 39 officers in September alone—double the highest of any month on record, and a level of attrition that the city’s mayor calls "unprecedented."