Seattle Police Department
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, except for the campus of the University of Washington, which is under the responsibility of its own police department.
| Seattle Police Department | |
|---|---|
Logo/patch of the Seattle Police Department | |
| Abbreviation | SPD |
| Motto | Service, Pride, Dedication |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1869 |
| Annual budget | $365m (2022) |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Washington, U.S. |
| Seattle Police jurisdiction | |
| Size | 142.5 square miles (369 km2) |
| Population | 737,015 (2020) |
| Legal jurisdiction | City of Seattle |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Police officers | c. 940 (2022) |
| Civilian employees | 631 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Precincts | 5 |
| Website | |
| Seattle Police website | |
Law enforcement in Seattle began with the election of John T. Jordan as town marshal in 1869. The SPD was officially organized on June 2, 1869, predating the incorporation of Seattle by the territorial legislature in December. Today it has a number of specialty units including SWAT, bike patrol, harbor patrol, motorcycles, mounted patrols, and a variety of detective units.
The SPD has been under federal oversight since 2012, when policy and procedural reforms were instituted after a United States Department of Justice investigation found that SPD officers routinely used excessive force.
Patrolmen are represented by the Seattle Police Officers' Guild in labor negotiations.