Seattle Police Department leaders briefed the Select Budget Committee on Sept. 29 about the mayor's proposed 2026 budget, describing sustained hiring gains, an add for sworn staffing and several programmatic investments.

COO Brian Maxey and Executive Director of Budget and Finance Angela Soschi said the department had hired 168 officers since the last budget, a net of 93 over attrition, and projected in-service staffing will rise substantially in 2026. The proposed budget adds funding for 143 officer positions (a $26 million addition), raising funded FTEs from the endorsed level toward the department's staffing goals.

Soschi described reductions the department proposed to help meet general-fund targets, including cuts to discretionary training and some temporary positions, and a $943,000 reduction to overtime. She said the department will preserve required in-service training and certifications while limiting some professional-development travel and non-essential training.

Key additions described in the proposed budget include ongoing funding for public-disclosure staff (two additional public disclosure officers plus removal of sunset dates for two previously temporary positions) in response to a high volume of public disclosure requests (SPD processed more than 17,000 PDRs in 2024). The budget also funds a CCTV expansion in Capitol Hill ($435,000, one-time and ongoing funds) to assist real-time crime analysts and investigations, and adds an ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion officer position that had previously been term-limited.

The department said FIFA-related equipment purchases ($757,000) are included to buy barriers, trailer packages and expand CCTV in the stadium district; the mayor's team held reserved revenue for those items and is appropriating them to SPD in the proposed budget.

During the session Chief Barnes and staff discussed recruitment and retention, overtime reduction as hiring ramps up, and administrative reforms. Barnes described the department's priorities as crime prevention, community engagement, employee safety and wellness, continuous improvement, and recruitment and retention. Council members pressed for details on timing for officer deployment, how overtime will decline as new hires are trained, the department's approach to CCTV and surveillance concerns, and plans for independent investigations of deadly use-of-force now that the consent decree has ended.

The chief and staff also said SPD has been approved to join a regional independent-investigation arrangement (the Independent Investigation Team drawing resources from King County and other agencies) for deadly-use-of-force criminal probes while the department will continue to carry out administrative investigations.

The committee did not vote on the budget during the briefing; SPD answered questions and said detailed cost and program information will be provided to council staff for follow-up.