Words... Fail

[rogue06]

The city of Seattle, often held forth as an example of wokeness in action, has decided that the police department's Special Assault and Child Abuse Unit will no longer be assigning officers to adult sexual assault cases due to no longer having sufficient man power after running off a sizeable portion of their police force.

That's right. If you are a woman and get raped in Seattle, the police will no longer be investigating it.

Source: Seattle police stopped investigating new adult sexual assaults this year, memo shows

Seattle police’s sexual assault and child abuse unit staff has been so depleted that it stopped assigning to detectives this year new cases with adult victims, according to an internal memo sent to interim police Chief Adrian Diaz in April.

The unit’s sergeant put her staffing crisis in stark terms.

“The community expects our agency to respond to reports of sexual violence,” Sgt. Pamela St. John wrote, “and at current staffing levels that objective is unattainable.”

Law enforcement agencies here and across the country have grappled with labor shortages during the pandemic and since the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd. But Seattle’s failure to staff its sexual assault unit stands out from other local police departments and raises questions aboutthe Seattle Police Department’s priorities, advocates say.

The memo, sent April 11, emerged amid a wave of new political promises for policing in Seattle. Last fall, Seattle voters elected a new mayor who rejected calls to defund the police and campaigned on a platform to clear public spaces of homeless encampments and strengthen public safety.

Behind the scenes, police leaders confronting an ongoing staffing crisis shored up patrol and positionsthat respond to homeless encampments,while some investigative units shrunk.

Now the department’s lack of attention to its sexual assault unit is threatening the viability of cases, as delayed investigations and evidence collection possibly hinder their outcomes.

In the memo, St. John went on to say that she was not “able to assign adult sexual assault cases” that came into her unit. Cases involving children and adult cases that had a suspect in custody — a fraction of adult sexual assaults reported to police — were being prioritized. The unit just had too few detectives.

Those concerns bear out in fewer referrals from the sexual assault unit to prosecutors. King County prosecutors say they’ve communicated with the sexual assault unit about understaffing concerns, but little has changed.

Assistant Chief Deanna Nollette in an interview with The Seattle Times and KUOW this week dismissed St. John’s portrayal of what was happening in her unit as “not accurate” and a “gross oversimplification.”

“Sexual assault cases are still being assigned, but the workload is being triaged based on a number of factors that we would traditionally use to triage those cases,” Nollette said.

Nollette emphasized that staffing shortages were being felt across the department. She did not provide an up-to-date count of how many adult sexual assault cases were on hold, although detectives in the unit are keeping a list with dozens of cases.


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The reporter seems to bend over backwards trying to not make a connection between this and the Defund movement that was especially robust in Seattle, trying to mention it in passing. I suspect we'll soon be hearing the same "unintended consequences" excuse being offered up. And I have to wonder how many sexual predators are making a bee-line to Seattle feeling that open season has been declared.

[Sparko]

They have that many child sexual assault cases that they have no officers left for adult cases? That's pretty horrifying by itself.

[Cow Poke]

The reporter seems to bend over backwards trying to not make a connection between this and the Defund movement that was especially robust in Seattle, trying to mention it in passing. I suspect we'll soon be hearing the same "unintended consequences" excuse being offered up. And I have to wonder how many sexual predators are making a bee-line to Seattle feeling that open season has been declared.

And I wonder how many honest citizens, small businesses and corporations are (or will be) making a bee-line to flee Seattle.

[Ronson]

The reporter seems to bend over backwards trying to not make a connection between this and the Defund movement that was especially robust in Seattle, trying to mention it in passing. I suspect we'll soon be hearing the same "unintended consequences" excuse being offered up. And I have to wonder how many sexual predators are making a bee-line to Seattle feeling that open season has been declared.

It might be a result of "defund," or it could be that officers just don't want to work in that hostile environment, hence the shortage. If given a choice, I wouldn't want to be a police officer in Seattle when other options are available.

[rogue06]

It might be a result of "defund," or it could be that officers just don't want to work in that hostile environment, hence the shortage. If given a choice, I wouldn't want to be a police officer in Seattle when other options are available.

IIRC, the most recent mayor's race involved a run-off where one of the candidates wanted to basically abolish the police.

[Starlight]

IIRC, the most recent mayor's race involved a run-off where one of the candidates wanted to basically abolish the police.

As your article says above, the elected mayor was someone who rejected the idea of defunding the police.

Maybe don't try to attribute policy outcomes to policies that didn't win and weren't implemented? "The thing that didn't happen probably caused this" isn't a good argument, yet I seem to see it in many forms regularly from US conservatives on this forum.

[Cow Poke]

As your article says above, the elected mayor was someone who rejected the idea of defunding the police.

Maybe don't try to attribute policy outcomes to policies that didn't win and weren't implemented? "The thing that didn't happen probably caused this" isn't a good argument, yet I seem to see it in many forms regularly from US conservatives on this forum.

To what might you point to account for the extreme shortage of police officers in Seattle?

[rogue06]

As your article says above, the elected mayor was someone who rejected the idea of defunding the police.

Maybe don't try to attribute policy outcomes to policies that didn't win and weren't implemented? "The thing that didn't happen probably caused this" isn't a good argument, yet I seem to see it in many forms regularly from US conservatives on this forum.

He rejected the abolishment of the police which was what his opponent wanted. When over 40% of the public in your city supports that it is a good time to start looking for a more stable environment if you want to continue in law enforcement. Even if you don't, how long it is until retirement (and a pension) is a major factor for a large number.

[Starlight]

To what might you point to account for the extreme shortage of police officers in Seattle?

The obviously relevant near record low US unemployment rate currently leading to staffing shortages nationwide?

[Cow Poke]

The obviously relevant near record low US unemployment rate currently leading to staffing shortages nationwide?

Try again, but be more realistic. What has been going on in the world of law enforcement for the past couple of years, particularly? (and think regionally, even)

[Cow Poke]

The obviously relevant near record low US unemployment rate currently leading to staffing shortages nationwide?

Here, lemme help you out a bit...

Shortage of Seattle cops is a growing crisis

When faced with a crisis, leaders in this town have a strong tendency to haggle about the problem, fiddle with it and drench it in bureaucratic process without getting much accomplished for months and years at a time (think homelessness). Today, the city has a cops crisis — we do not have enough of them — and it is getting worse by the day.

Over the last two years, the Seattle Police Department has lost about a fourth of its officers. In the first three months of 2022, the city had aimed to hire 40 new cops, but only brought in 13. Meanwhile, an additional 43 resigned.

Police response times for serious crimes have lengthened while nobody shows up for the not-so- serious stuff that still is disquieting citizens. Crime investigation is suffering, as is community outreach.

Our less-than-eminent city council is locked in debates between those who, not too long ago, wanted to cut the police budget in half and newly elected members who have heard the voters’ pleas for safer streets. The new mayor came into office promising action on a variety of issues and has begun to deliver on removing illegal encampments from parks, but we still await his plan to bring the police department back to adequate staffing.

A sense of urgency is needed because crises rarely go away by themselves, they just get bigger and even harder to fix.

DIRECTLY related to the "defund police" debacle, from which they're now trying to recover, having learned (in part) what a moronic idea that was.

[Starlight]

Try again, but be more realistic.

Please tell me that even you aren't stupid and ignorant enough to be unaware of the current near-record low unemployment rate and the associated nationwide worker shortages?

I get that you're fully indoctrinated in sociopathic extremist right wing propaganda that never wants to admit Biden is doing anything good. But surely, given its been one of the top major economic stories for months, you're aware that there's an extremely low unemployment rate? And that this is causing staff shortages everywhere?

You don't need to hunt out alternative facts or galaxy-brained conservative conspiracy theories as to why policies that weren't implemented by liberals with no power are secretly the real cause of specific staffing shortages. Try and stay grounded in reality rather than falling down the conservative nutbar rabbit hole.

[Starlight]

DIRECTLY related to the "defund police" debacle, from which they're now trying to recover, having learned (in part) what a moronic idea that was.

The part where they didn't implement that seems highly relevant. Hard to 'recover' from a policy implemented only in the imaginations of conservatives.

Compare to Uvalde, who heavily funded police, spending 40% of the city's budget on police in addition to the school district having it's own police force. Those, actually implemented policies, didn't have great outcomes.

[Cow Poke]

Please tell me that even you aren't stupid and ignorant enough to be unaware of the current near-record low unemployment rate and the associated nationwide worker shortages?

I get that you're fully indoctrinated in sociopathic extremist right wing propaganda that never wants to admit Biden is doing anything good. But surely, given its been one of the top major economic stories for months, you're aware that there's an extremely low unemployment rate? And that this is causing staff shortages everywhere?

You don't need to hunt out alternative facts or galaxy-brained conservative conspiracy theories as to why policies that weren't implemented by liberals with no power are secretly the real cause of specific staffing shortages. Try and stay grounded in reality rather than falling down the conservative nutbar rabbit hole.

You don't HAVE to tell me that you're stupid enough to totally miss the whole unemployment picture in the US - that's painfully obvious.

What the US unemployment rate doesn’t tell you

The true measure of unemployment depends on who you ask

While most reporting (including our own) tends to focus on the BLS’s monthly headline figure – referred to as the “U-3” – the true measure of unemployment depends on who you ask. Some experts argue the official headline figure hides a far darker picture of the state of the labor market.

First, it is important to unpack what this commonly cited statistic does and does not tell us.

The headline unemployment rate measures the proportion of the American civilian labor force – anyone over the age of 16 – that does not have a job and is still actively looking for work. It does not include the large number of people who have given up looking for work, those stuck in low wage, low hour jobs or those stuck in part-time jobs when they want full time ones.

The fact is that police work has become very undesirable because of the recent climate, including the whole BLM fiasco, and the nutty liberal "defund the police" movement. (which, by the way, is blowing up and fizzling out)

Even CNN gets it...

Why police forces are struggling to recruit and keep officers

Durham, North Carolina

(CNN)In a growing number of American cities, if you call the police, there are fewer officers taking the call.

Police departments across the nation are raising concerns about current and future staffing levels. CNN reached out to nearly 20 departments nationwide, along with other key stakeholders including elected officials, union officials and outside recruiters for departments for this story.

They all point to similar concerns including Covid-19, the great resignation, the climate for law enforcement and local reform efforts that are making recruitment and retention difficult.

And...

"It's a trying time to be a police officer in this country," Wexler said. "So, police chiefs are wondering who are going to be the cops of the future."
Departments are also struggling daily to cover those out sick due to Covid-19, and higher rates of crime, Wexler and several departments said.

In Philadelphia, the department is down 440 officers or 7% of the number of police officers budgeted for the city, the department told CNN.

"Well, right now it's not a very desirable job," John McNesby, head of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), told CNN.

"Everything that's been going on around the country for the last couple of years. ... But right now, I mean just getting people to apply is a monster in itself."

But, obviously, you read somewhere that it's all about low unemployment, and you bought that hook line and sinker.

[rogue06]

A bit more from the state of Washington.

Source: Drivers in Washington State Don’t Have To Stop for Cops Anymore

After Washington State passed a law to constrain police officers, state drivers are refusing to pull over when asked by cops.

Northwest News Network recorded nearly 1,000 failure-to-yield incidents in 2022. Patrol officers have described a sharp rise in motorists fleeing traffic stops, speeding away sometimes in stolen cars, according to one county police chief. Washington House Bill 1054, which Governor Jay Inslee (D.) signed into law last year, has banned police from pursuing traffic violators in their cruisers, unless the officer is granted permission by a supervisor or the perpetrator is suspected of being under the influence or having committed a violent offense, is causing imminent danger, or must be identified.

"Something's changed. People are not stopping right now," a Washington State Patrol sergeant told theAssociated Press. "It's happening three to five times a shift on some nights and then a couple times a week on day shift."

The change comes as elected officials have passed laws to restrict traditional policing tactics involving the use of force and the duty to intervene in cases of officer misconduct. More than half of U.S. states instituted such reforms since the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.

Washington State Republican lawmakers and law enforcement leaders criticized the police bill, saying it has hamstrung the efforts of law enforcement to preserve public safety, according to the AP.

Democratic state lawmakers, however, lauded the bill, with its chief sponsor saying he doesn't "believe pursuits in a 21st century policing system are needed."

Crime data for Washington are not yet available. Homicides, often considered the leading indicator of a crime tendency, were up 46 percent in 2020.



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