Outgoing Seattle police chief says it's not about money, but 'lack of respect' for officers The chief’s decision comes amid the city’s plan to reduce the department by as many as 100 officers It was dismantled by police on 1 July after several shootings inside the occupied area. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is resigning, abruptly announcing her departure late Monday just hours after the city council voted to strip the police department of … Seattle currently has about 1,400 police officers and the reductions fell far short of the 50% cut to the department that many Black Lives Matter protesters are seeking.
Council members had approved the cuts Monday. Seattle's Chief of Police, Carmen Best, has announced her resignation just hours after the City Council voted to defund the police by reducing the department by as many as 100 officers. These are external links and will open in a new window "I am confident the department will make it through these difficult times," Chief Best wrote in a resignation letter on Monday to her colleagues. After the measure was approved in a 7-1 vote, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan - who could still veto the cuts - denounced the decision. All market data delayed 20 minutes. The top 10 highest paid officers made between $304,417 and $414,543. Follow him on Twitter 364 Seattle Police Department (SPD) employees made over $200,000 in 2019, and 1,326 Seattle officers made at least 6 figures, Forbes reported Tuesday. "She added: “The idea that we’ve worked so incredibly hard to make sure our department was diverse, that (it) reflects the community that we serve, to just turn that all on a dime and hack it off, without having a plan in place to move forward, is highly distressful for me.” Best, the city's first Black police chief, said in a "I am confident the department will make it through these difficult times," Best said in the letter. “It was highly disappointing to not see that.” Durkan has appointed Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz as the interim chief. Several council members on Monday said the changes were a starting point in a long process to reimagine policing and public safety. Seattle's chief of police has announced her resignation on the same day that the city council voted to reduce the police budget and lay off officers. "I look forward to seeing how this department moves forward through the process of re-envisioning public safety. She had been serving as interim chief. These are external links and will open in a new windowSeattle's chief of police has announced her resignation on the same day that the city council voted to reduce the police budget and lay off officers.Carmen Best's decision comes amid pressure on police after George Floyd's death, unrest in Seattle and budget shortfalls due to the current pandemic.Chief Best became the city's first black police chief in 2018, leading a 1,400-member force.The US military veteran joined the Seattle Police Department in 1992.On Monday, the city council voted to cut more than $3m (£2.3m) from the police's $400m annual operating budget.
Seattle currently has about 1,400 police officers and the reductions fell far short of the 50% cut to the department that many Black Lives Matter protesters are … FILE: Police officers look on at protesters in Seattle. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone was set up amid nationwide protests against racism and police brutality since the death of George Floyd in police custody in May.