Seattle council member wants to delay vote on police contract

Seattle City Council member Tammy Morales is advocating for her colleagues to delay Tuesday’s vote on the long-negotiated contract with the city’s police officers.

Morales said she wants a public hearing on the potential contract so residents can voice their thoughts and concerns.

“We have not had a single public hearing on this contract and this is absolutely not something that should be rushed,” Morales said.

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The pending contract, which can be viewed here, would make the Seattle Police Department (SPD) one of the highest paid police forces in the region with a retroactive 23% salary increase. The 23% increase consists of a 1.3% increase for 2021, a 6.4% increase for 2022 and a 15.3% increase for 2023 as additional payment.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG)’s most recent contract, approved in 2018, included a 17% pay raise for officers and required the city to pay $65 million in back pay, according to multiple media outlets. PubliCola, which describes itself as “Seattle’s reader-driven source for in-depth, in-depth reporting on local, state and regional politics and policy,” released a PDF of the contract earlier this month before the union removed it from public view.

The SPOG represents around 900 SPD officials.

“Our focus during negotiations has been on the ultimate goal of creating an outstanding police service and a safe Seattle based on a commitment to accountability, operational improvements, and increasing the recruitment and retention of good officers through fair wages and working conditions,” the city said of Seattle said in a statement to KIRO Newsradio.

But critics of the contract say the city will not receive significant accountability. Police accountability has been a key point of contention between the guild and city officials. SPOG has been criticized by police reform advocates who claim the union exerts too much influence over officer accountability and disciplinary procedures.

Just as a tentative agreement was reached for a new contract, the Seattle Community Police Commission called for more transparency in negotiations and for the public to be able to see and comment on the contract, a sentiment with which Morales agrees.

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Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and email him here.