Thread by @DivestSPD

Live tweeting Best & Durkan presser on "police budget"

Just started

Durkan starts by referencing the shooting in UDistrict last night and the "uptick" in gun violence across the country, essentially laying the foundation for her case that the police need to be fully funded.

"We will not support any effort to abolish the police dept or cuts that will compromise the police department's ability to serve"

Durkans: "Law enforcement is not always the appropriate tool" We need to invest in "community-based" solutions

$56 million will be transferred out of the budget through transfer of the following functions:
-911
-Parking enforcement
-Police accountability

On top of 5% proposed cuts

Now Durkan is listing the ways that they've already "reimagined" policing, ex. social workers, 911 alternatives, but these "have to be fully funded," she says.

Durkan: Doing a "deep dive" into the 9/11 data to look at where cuts can be made while still maintaining 24/7 emergency service. What functions can be civilianized.

Durkan: "We don't have all the answers." Need to continue to "listen to communities" and examine examples from other countries.

*cities

Durkan: The City Council has done almost "no analysis" and made an arbitrary decision to cut the budget

Durkan: The right way is to develop a "needs-based" analysis. Budget follows "values." You don't "cut first."

Durkan: "Blunt cuts won't work"

Best is up.

Best: "So much that has been called for nationally-- we're already there in Seattle"

lol

Best again conflates cutting the budget with cutting half of the staff. "They're saying you aren't needed"

Best: Our budget is almost entirely personnel. "I will not sacrifice officers of color for political points" Most were hired in the past few years. Will lose them due to Last In First Out.

Fire Chief Scoggins is up

Just talking about the fire this morning. I think he's being included as part of the theme about 24/7 911 response. It's an effort to portray the police as mainly "first responders" like EMS and Fire.

Questions.

Omari: Who exactly in the community are Best and Durkan talking to?

Durkan: We've met with black ministers at First Zion + protesters (She's talking about that bogus meeting where she picked up random people from CHOP).

Also mentioned Not this Time.

Now she's making an excuse for why she excluded press. Many "don't want press in the room"

Another question: Would you be open to working w/ Council on the timeline and process?

Durkan: Yes, but the City Council decided "within hours by Tweet" to cut the budget.

Durkan: We'd like to not have police be the response to crisis calls, but there are 17,000 crisis calls a year and we need someone 24/7 to respond to all these

Durkan: Blunt cuts will cause an increase in response times. Willing to "reimagine" but will not "sacrifice community safety"

She used "reimagine." Morning drinkers following along at home take a drink.

Durkan: The ppl are in the street for a "righteous cause. I believe in it." But there's no "magic wand."

Durkan is promising to find $100 million in additional funds to make community investments w/o Defunding.

Hanna Scott KIRO Radio: Can Council pass Defund with 7 of 9 votes? How will that effect mass casualty events?

Best: If there is a mass casualty event with half the staff, it will affect our ability to respond in a timely and adequate fashion.

Durkan: Some changes can happen immediately but some will take time, ex. 911 Call Center can't happen this year.

Durkan: "We are in a transformative time"--epidemic, economic downturn, civil rights uprising-- but we have to be "thoughtful."

Question: What do we do if Council passes a defund this year that defunds budget w/o plan?

Durkan threatens to veto.

@KromanDavid asks about Civilianizing OPA

Durkan: Will make it a standalone independent agency. It has been argued that OPA needs some sworn personnel with familiarity w/ police procedures in situations. Will be worked out through collaborative process.

Q: Where will the money for OPA come from?

Durk: That is OPA's existing budget allocation. Just will be shifted over from SPD on the ledger.

Durkan: Instead of just making the cuts, we need to start with the premise of having adequate response.

Question: Asking about SPOG. What impact defund will have on the contract which can't be negotiated until the end of the yr.

Durkan: Says that other responders (EMT, Fire) require police to be on the scene in certain situations, and a "blunt cut" will also impact those.

Kate Walters: Announced a freeze in hiring, will there be cuts in the current staff under the plan?

Durkan: First priority is adequate staffing for emergency response. Will not be setting arbitrary numbers. The amount is what we believe could be saved when that analysis has been done.

Second Q was about 911. Durkan reiterates that this can't be done this year. Will be part of the proposal for next year's budget.

Seattle Times: Would there be cost savings associated w/ 911 and OPA moves or is it just moving money around?

Durkan: What we're hearing is that many jobs shouldn't be done by LEO, i.e. those involved with community safety. Those moves are "budget neutral"

"Restructuring dept but does not always mean more money for the community"

Durkan: Unlike the council, I'm being transparent.

Press conference is over.

Personal thoughts:

Durkan & Best pretend like all the SPD does is respond to emergency calls.

But as I pointed out in this thread, a lot of personnel is dedicated to preventive patrol, which DOES NOT WORK.

https://twitter.com/DivestSPD/status/1281028567753580544?s=20

All this stuff about analyzing the 911 data to determine how much they staff they need ...

There going to do that based on their own understanding and don't be surprised if they come out of that with the answer: We need exactly the amount of staff we already have.

And on the subject of staffing. If they can't afford to keep all their staff under the same budget, they can do like every other company and government agency does, and slash pay.

Why are cops the only job that's recession proof?

*They're

Bottom line this is all smoke and mirrors just to preserve the status quo and make it seem like they've given concessions when they actually have not done anything at all.

We're not stupid @MayorJenny