Legislature considers big increase for police officer funding

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Legislators are considering financially supporting police departments large and small as they try to hire new officers in the name of boosting public safety.

Speaking at a hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee Tuesday morning, State Senator Jeff Holy (R-Cheney) said Seattle police had one of their best recruiting years in 2024, drawing in 84 new officers. However, he said a large number of existing officers left, ultimately adding two or three officers on net.

"They're trying their darndest to play catchup, but they're bleeding as fast as they're gaining on this," Holy said. "We've had a transition over the years, the last several decades here, we've had the smaller agencies that don't pay what the larger agencies do and you'll have people move to the larger agencies. So there's this ongoing catchup for smaller agencies."

Proponents of Senate Bill 5060 say it's one part of a whole slate of action needed to address a shortage of police officers across the state.

The bipartisan legislation would require the state's Criminal Justice Training Commission to establish a grant program helping local and tribal law enforcement agencies recruit and retain more officers. Grant funding could only be used to pay for a portion of the officer's salary and benefits for up to three years, and $100 million would be provided over the next two years to fund the grant.

As prime sponsor, Holy said the money would provide a bit of help in a costly process.

"Seattle police officers-a new police officer makes about $103,000 and there's a $7500 bonus," he said. "Yet the cost of the academy, the field training officer, the total program putting them through a probationary period - you're running into a quarter-million dollars for one officer."