Seattle’s Mayor Bruce Harrell and Police Chief Adrian Diaz are expressing confidence in the city’s efforts to rebuild its police department, aiming to restore full staffing levels by next year. The renewed optimism comes amid a reported decline in violent crime and a more aggressive push to recruit new officers.
At a press briefing held alongside City Councilmembers Bob Kettle and Sara Nelson, Harrell and Diaz highlighted recent recruitment efforts, including revamped application processes, streamlined training, and substantial hiring bonuses—measures they say are already paying off.
According to SPD Chief Diaz, the department has made 60 new hires in 2025 so far, a dramatic improvement from just 10 during the same period last year. He noted that hundreds of applications are in the pipeline, with dozens more currently progressing through the hiring stages. Diaz said these figures support his projection that the city could hire 200 new officers by the end of the year.
Still, Seattle’s police force remains approximately 260 officers short of what Diaz described as “fully staffed”—a target of 1,300 officers. While optimistic about the hiring trend, Diaz remained vague about how an expanded force would affect policing strategies, noting only that additional personnel would initially bolster patrol operations and community visibility.
The effort to rebuild SPD’s ranks follows a turbulent period in the department’s history. Since the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s death and widespread calls to defund the police, SPD has seen a significant exodus of officers. The political climate has shifted since then, with a newly elected City Council largely supportive of public safety investment.
Mayor Harrell, who has consistently advocated for increased police funding, including large signing bonuses, is now seeking re-election. His administration has made police staffing a cornerstone issue, viewing a robust department as critical to public safety and community trust.
Chief Diaz, relatively new in his role, echoed the mayor’s stance, framing the recent hiring momentum as a foundational step in reshaping Seattle’s law enforcement presence.
The city’s leadership now faces the challenge of translating hiring progress into long-term public safety outcomes while responding to community expectations and national conversations about policing.
