Mayor’s Role in Police Accountability

Summary

Each fall the Mayor proposes a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget is further developed and passed by the City Council and either signed or vetoed by the Mayor. The Mayor also appoints the Chief of Police and helps set bargaining parameters with the City’s police guild and association.

Importance

The budget reflects Seattle’s values and determines whether we continue to put large portions of taxpayer dollars into policing and judicial systems or choose to direct city funds toward priorities such as housing, violence interruption programs and diversion programs, and mental health resources that seek to address the root causes of harm.

It will be up to the next Mayor to either appoint a chief of police that embraces policing accountability and is willing to relinquish the role of police in responding to homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health emergencies to professionals better trained to respond to these issues or appoint a Chief of Police who will uphold the status quo.

The Mayor participates in the Labor Relations Policy Committee which sets bargaining parameters for contract negotiations with the police guild and association. As the current SPOG and SPMA contracts are expired, the Mayor has power in determining what future contracts with our police officers will look like.

Acronyms

SPMA - Seattle Police Management Association

SPOG - Seattle Police Officers Guild