'Unfund' or a 14 percent raise? What the numbers say about the police budget fight

Seattle's police budget has become one of the sharpest disagreements in the city's 2027-2028 budget. After the Council's public safety budget briefings on Oct. 15, Public Safety Committee Chair Robert Kettle (District 7) called Mayor Katie Wilson's proposal an "Unfund" budget for public safety in a Council statement, saying it repeats the mistakes of the "Defund" era.

At the same time, the police department's budget would grow. Both things can be true, and the details explain why. For residents, the outcome affects how many officers are hired, how 911 calls are handled, and parking enforcement on your street.

What the mayor's office says

When the police budget was presented in September, City Budget Director Aly Pennucci said a past goal of more than 1,400 officers "was not grounded in financial reality," FOX 13 reported. The proposal instead funds 1,250 sworn officers. FOX 13 also reported that interim Police Chief Andre Sayles said limited resources force officers to "triage" cases.

What our records add: the Council's line-by-line analysis

The Council's Central Staff police budget memo, presented at the Oct. 15 Select Budget Committee meeting (agenda item), breaks down the numbers:

• Total: the department's budget would rise from $488.6 million in 2026 to $556.5 million in 2027, up $68 million or 13.9 percent, and to $568.2 million in 2028.
• Why it grows: $56.5 million covers labor contracts with the police officers' and police managers' unions, ratified after the 2026 budget passed. Another $1.2 million covers the parking enforcement officers' contract.
• Officers: $12.6 million funds 1,250 sworn officers in both years, which the memo says means a net of 43 new hires in 2027 and no growth in 2028.
• Cuts: the department meets a 2 percent general fund reduction, $9.5 million in 2027. Items include $2.4 million in paid marketing and hiring bonuses for new and lateral officers, $1.1 million for seven unfilled civilian investigator positions, $500,000 for three unfilled Real-Time Crime Center analyst positions, and $3.1 million tied to nine vacant parking enforcement officer positions.
• Staffing overall: total positions fall from 1,879 to 1,855.

Staffing, overtime and charges from other city departments make up 95 percent of the department's operating budget, the memo says, so most changes are to people rather than programs.

What councilmembers have said

Kettle's Oct. 15 statement named Little Saigon, North Aurora Avenue, Belltown, and Uptown/Queen Anne as neighborhoods in crisis. It asked the mayor's team for a single public safety plan and urged residents to testify on Nov. 5.

At the September briefing, Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5) said, "we are seeing more crime because we have less officers," and Councilmember Rob Saka (District 1) criticized the lack of funding for new surveillance cameras at places like Seattle Center, FOX 13 reported.

What's next

Councilmembers discuss their proposed changes to the police and CARE budgets on Thursday, Oct. 29 (Legistar), as part of the three-day amendment discussion. The budget chair's balancing package follows on Nov. 4, the public hearing is Nov. 5, and the final vote is set for Nov. 20, according to the Select Budget Committee schedule.

Separately, the mayor is running a search for a permanent police chief. KUOW reported that Sayles has served as interim chief since the mayor asked former Chief Shon Barnes to resign this summer.