Seattle City Council approves $220K in retroactive SPD hiring bonuses

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council has retroactively authorized $220,000 in bonuses for police and 911 dispatchers hired in January 2022.

Former Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan issued an emergency declaration in October authorizing hiring bonuses for new Seattle Police Department hires to help with staffing issues.

The order authorized bonuses of up to $25,000 for lateral hires and $10,000 for new hires, depending on the level of experience.

The bonuses were supposed to end with her term on Jan. 1, but councilmembers learned last month that Durkan extended the order before she left office.

The Seattle Times reports Durkan notified incoming Mayor Bruce Harrell, but representatives of his administration say they did not see the memo and were not aware of the bonuses until January.

Council members voted to approve the January bonuses on Tuesday and have authorized SPD to spend $50,000 in salary savings to help pay for them.

The bonuses will go to fourteen dispatchers and five SPD officers.

Mayor Harrell ordered for the hiring incentives to end in early February.

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