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Crime wave fears in Seattle as it's revealed 200 cops - 20% of it's force - quit in last 16 months because of 'anti-cop climate' in the Democrat city

  More than 200 Seattle Police Department officers have left their jobs in the last year, amid months of mass protests in the city over raci...

 More than 200 Seattle Police Department officers have left their jobs in the last year, amid months of mass protests in the city over racial injustice.

The departing officers have cited what they call an 'anti-police climate' in Seattle, city council policies and disagreements with police department leadership.

Police Chief Adrian Diaz said on Tuesday that the department is facing a staffing crisis.


Diaz said 180 police officers quit last year and another 66 so far in 2021, adding that the number of officers left in the department is at 'record' lows.

More than 200 Seattle Police Department officers have left their jobs since last year, amid months of mass protests in the city over racial injustice. Pictured: A Black Lives Matter protest in July 2020 in Seattle

More than 200 Seattle Police Department officers have left their jobs since last year, amid months of mass protests in the city over racial injustice. Pictured: A Black Lives Matter protest in July 2020 in Seattle

'I have about 1,080 deployable officers,' he told KING-TV in Seattle. 'This is the lowest I've seen our department.

'I do see that this year we could have a significant amount of people leaving.'

That means, about 20% of officers have quit since the start of 2020.  

Diaz said that 1,400 is the ideal number of officers - including police trainees - to patrol the city.

He said current staffing levels make it difficult to respond to 911 calls.

'At this staffing level... we are struggling to making sure we're responding to all calls for service,' said Diaz, who stepped into the role after former Chief Carmen Best retired suddenly last summer. 

Diaz added that the department is hiring more community service and crime prevention officers to handle non-criminal calls.  


Exit interviews reveal that some departing officers retired early while others left for policing jobs in different cities or private sector roles. 

'The hatred directed at SPD by our City leaders, activist, and the citizens of Seattle is unwarranted and unacceptable,' one officer of more than 20 years wrote. 

'The city of Seattle no longer deserves my law enforcement services. Time for me to retire and escape this failing city.' 

The Seattle City Council voted to defund the police budget by roughly 17 percent in 2021. 

Activists applauded the decision but Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has cautioned against additional cuts to police funding.

In a statement reported by Fox News, Durkan's office said: 'Despite an increased focus on recruitment and retention, the Seattle Police Department continues to lose sworn officers at a record pace due to ongoing budget uncertainty.

'Based on exit interviews, we know the Council's threats of continued layoffs or cuts are having a direct impact on decisions to leave the department.'

Police Chief Adrian Diaz said on Tuesday that the department is facing a staffing crisis. Diaz said 180 police officers quit last year and another 66 so far in 2021, adding that the number of officers left in the department is at 'record' lows

Police Chief Adrian Diaz said on Tuesday that the department is facing a staffing crisis. Diaz said 180 police officers quit last year and another 66 so far in 2021, adding that the number of officers left in the department is at 'record' lows

The City Council is considering new cuts of $5.4million to the police department's budget.

The council has fully funded the department's hiring plan for 2021, council member Lisa Herbold said on Tuesday.

'The reductions being considered are from salary savings from officers leaving and do not reduce the number of officers SPD can hire,' she said.

Other cities, like New York, that have experienced mass demonstrations against police brutality in the last year have also seen officers leaving in large numbers, Fox reported. 

Seattle was one of many cities across the U.S. to erupt into protests following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May.

At one point, demonstrators in Seattle established the Capital Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone - a 'cop free' area.

Armed protesters erected barriers and set up encampments around the zone, which was plagued by weeks of violence, looting, and vandalism. 

Other cities that have experienced mass demonstrations against police brutality in the last year have also seen officers leaving in large numbers. Pictured: Police spray demonstrators with pepper spray during a Black Lives Matter protest in July in Seattle

Other cities that have experienced mass demonstrations against police brutality in the last year have also seen officers leaving in large numbers. Pictured: Police spray demonstrators with pepper spray during a Black Lives Matter protest in July in Seattle

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