Seattle police asking for footage to identify suspects of looting and violence; More ways to support #BlackLivesMatter, according to Obama; The City of Seattle’s budget is announced with a proposed sum the year before and a real sum the year of. SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle City Council approved proposals Monday that would reduce the police department by as many as 100 officers through layoffs and attrition — an action supported by demonstrators who have marched in the city following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis but strongly opposed by the mayor and police chief. In 2001, the police department budget was approximately $229 million (in 2020 dollars); this year, the budget is about $409 million. The web site includes current and archived budgets, capital improvement programs, economic updates and other related information.

As U.S. attorney in Seattle, Durkan previously pushed a Justice Department investigation that found officers too quick to use force, leading to a 2012 consent decree with the federal government.

”It’s not an easy process. City Budget Office oversees all aspect of the city's budget. The City Budget Office provides SPD budget information going back twenty years, which provides a unique and important historical perspective on how the budget has grown and changed over the years.

“Your elected officials are striving to seize this historic moment in the wake of the brutal and wrongful killing of George Floyd and countless other Black, Indigenous and people of color so that we address systemic racism, rethink policing and revitalize community health and safety,” council member Alex Pedersen said before the vote. Measures that would cut less than $4 million of the department’s $400 million annual budget this year passed out of committee unanimously last week. 2019-20 Proposed Budget. City Budget Office oversees all aspect of the city's budget. The Seattle City Council is scheduled to take votes Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, on proposals that would reduce the police department by up to 100 officers through layoffs and attrition, actions supported by demonstrators who have marched in the city following George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis but strongly opposed by the mayor and police chief. Council member Dan Strauss said the council will keep working toward providing public safety that works for everyone in Seattle, providing “the right response to 911 calls right away,” which he said in the future may not always include an armed officer.

The City of Seattle’s 2019-2020 Proposed Budget is the first of Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s administration. In 2020, the proposed Seattle Police Department budget was set at $409,538,851.02. Last month, the mayor sketched out a plan to reduce the police budget by about $75 million next year by transferring parking enforcement officers, the 911 call center and other areas out of the department.

But critics have said the department’s actions during recent protests show not enough progress has been made. Overall budgets for the 10 largest U.S. cities grew an average of 8% between the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years, and spending on police departments grew in … The Seattle City Council is scheduled to take votes Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, on proposals that would reduce the police department by up to 100 officers through layoffs and attrition, actions supported by demonstrators who have marched in the city following George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis but strongly opposed by the mayor and police chief. Durkan has proposed cutting about $20 million from the police budget this year largely because of reduced revenues amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City Council also cut Police Chief Carmen Best’s roughly $285,000 annual salary and the pay of other top police leaders, although the final cuts to Best’s salary were significantly more modest than those approved last week. According to data recently released by the city, almost 40 officers left the department in September alone, KCPQ in Seattle reported.

The council plan also takes officers off a team that removes homeless camps.

Several council members on Monday said the changes were a starting point in a long process to reimagine policing and public safety. They also said any layoffs would disproportionately target newer officers, often hired from Black and brown communities, and would inevitably lead to lawsuits. “It is unfortunate Council has refused to engage in a collaborative process to work with the mayor, Chief Best, and community members to develop a budget and policies that respond to community needs while accounting for — not just acknowledging — the significant labor and legal implications involved in transforming the Seattle Police Department,” Durkan said in a statement after the vote. On Monday, only council member Kshama Sawant voted against the budget package, saying it does not do enough to defund the police. The total proposed appropriations are approximately $5.9 billion per year, including about $1.3 billion in General Fund spending per year. Mayor Jenny Durkan and Best had urged the council to slow down its discussions about police budgets, saying the issue could be taken up in earnest when the 2021 city budget is considered. Reviews by an independent monitor have determined that the changes under the consent decree have led to a drop in how often police use force. “While we can’t do everything in this summer rebalancing package, we have set the path forward for tremendous work in front of us as a council and as a city,” Council member Teresa Mosqueda said. At least 118 officers have left the Seattle Police Department this year, a record number that is having a noticeable impact on the riot-torn city. Seattle currently has about 1,400 police officers and the reductions fell far short of the 50% cut to the department that many Black Lives Matter protesters are seeking. The web site includes current and archived budgets, capital improvement programs, economic updates and other related information. It’s messy, it’s difficult, it’s uncomfortable — but it’s necessary.”, FILE - In this July 20, 2020, file photo, police officers look on at protesters in Seattle.

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news.