This is a lawsuit in the making.
What is in the water in Seattle?
Quote:Quote:
"Blunt cuts of 100 officers between now and the end of the year is really not the way to proceed," Durkan said
Chief Best said if she is forced to lay off any officers, the cuts will disproportionately fall on the new hires and minority officers because of department policy.
One of the other areas of criticism is the fact that the council trying to cut the police budget in half has yet to sit down with the police chief:
Quote:
When asked about their collaboration, (City Council member) Mosqueda said, "I think it's important for folks to know we have taken into consideration much of what Chief Best has sent us, in terms of questions and issues she's identified."
Best shrugged off Mosqueda's remarks.
"I feel like you're very fortunate to have had that conversation with the council because they certainly haven't been talking with me," she said.
VIA Hot AirQuote:Chief Best's lawyer called the vote retaliation:Quote:
The council's Budget Committee was considering specific amendments to the police department's budget when it took several votes, chief among them were two measures by Councilwoman Kshama Sawant: one of the amendments would have immediately chopped 50 percent of the department's budget while a second measure would have slashed funding to the agency starting in November
After rejecting the pair of Sawant ordinances to slash the police budget by 50 percent, the council did approve measures to trip the pay of 13 high-ranking police officers, a measure that Sawant said would save about $500,000 this year.Quote:
"She and Jenny Durkan gave a press conference where they were critical of the council. In my view, this was retaliation because as soon as they did that, the council in a vote that was not publicized, that was not on the agenda publicly voted to reduce her salary. This is the first black female police chief in the country. Her salary was reduced to $100,000 less than a white woman chief's salary, namely Kathleen O'Toole."
What is in the water in Seattle?