Select Budget Committee hears SPD plan for 86 new officers, cuts to overtime and CCTV funded from payroll-expense tax

The Seattle Select Budget Committee heard an overview Oct. 17 of the Seattle Police Department’s 2026 proposed budget, which Central Staff said increases 4.4% relative to the 2026 endorsed budget. Greg Doss of Council Central Staff summarized personnel-driven changes, including funding for 86 net new officers in 2026 and several budget reductions intended to meet a general-fund savings target.

Central Staff said the single largest increase is roughly $26 million tied to personnel. “The 2026 proposed budget for the Seattle Police Department increases 4.4% relative to the 2026 endorsed budget,” Greg Doss said. He told the committee most adjustments are personnel related and that the leadership and administration line showed a roughly 16% increase tied to new sworn hires.

Why it matters: the additions have near-term operational and medium-term fiscal consequences. Doss said the additional 86 officers would cost about $26 million in 2026 — roughly $23.5 million in salaries and $2.5 million in equipment — and that annualized obligations rise as recruits move into fully funded sworn positions. Central Staff estimated the 2027 ongoing cost from one projected class could grow from about $26 million in 2026 to roughly $34 million in 2027 for that cohort alone.

Overtime, vacancy and temporary positions: Central Staff identified three offsetting reductions. The executive proposed a $950,000 cut to the SPD overtime budget “to meet a general fund reduction target,” Doss said, and a $2.8 million vacancy-rate adjustment that assumes some funded positions will remain unfilled and thus…