Seattle Police Peace Out

The war on the police continues in the Pacific Northwest.  One of the cities that has been hit the hardest by police critisism is the city of Seattle.  Their police chief resigned a few months ago citing differences with the direction from city leaders.Now Seattle Leaders have decided to cut their police departments budget by almost 20%.  The city of Seattle is set to cut its police budget by 18% for the coming year and re-allocate the money to other programs, says Fox News.

The Seattle City Council did approve the hiring of 100 officers which was needed according to published reports.  The move was applauded by members of the council.

It's one of the largest police budget cuts in the nation, but well short of the 50% reduction sought by local critics. Part of the reduction will come from cutting overtime and training hours.  Other cuts include not filling dozens of vacant jobs and moving some positions, like parking enforcement and 911 dispatchers, into other departments.

Police officers that are eligible to retire have begun to file their paperwork.What are the long and short-term effects of these budget cuts?  Will an 18% cut satisfy local activists?  Will de-funding the police continue to be a hot button issue in 2021?