By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Seattle Police Department will end recruiting incentives of up to $50,000 for new recruits and lateral transfers starting Sept. 1.
- Officers already in the hiring process or who submitted applications during August will still receive the incentives.
- Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles made the decision as a budget-management step, according to the mayor’s office.
- The department hired 87 officers in the first half of 2025 after previously losing 700 officers over a five-year period; it currently has 927 officers and has been working toward a goal of 1,250.
- Seattle Police Officers Guild President Kent Loux said halting the incentives after recent recruiting success “seems irresponsible.”
SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department will stop offering hiring incentives beginning Sept. 1 due to budget constraints, the department said.
Bonuses of up to $50,000 for lateral transfer officers and new recruits will end on that date. Any officer already in the hiring process at that time, or who submitted an application during August, will still receive the incentives.
“A decision has been made to stop the hiring incentives until a time when the budget forecast for the Seattle Police Department is clear,” the department said in a statement. “We have a responsibility to the people of Seattle to provide the best police service while also being fiscally responsible.”
The incentive program has grown substantially in recent years. As of 2022, the department offered up to $30,000 for lateral transfers and $7,500 for new recruits; the city raised the maximum bonus to $50,000 in 2024. The department hired 87 officers in the first half of 2025, a hiring boost that followed a five-year stretch in which it lost 700 officers.
The department is currently staffed with 927 officers and has been working toward a goal of 1,250, according to the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Guild President Kent Loux said the timing of the decision was concerning. “We’ve had significant success recruiting people, and just chopping it off at its knees suddenly seems irresponsible,” Loux said.
Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles determined ending the incentives was “an appropriate step to help manage the department’s budget,” according to the mayor’s office.