Seattle Police Department
| Seattle Police Department | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | SPD |
Logo/Patch of the Seattle Police Department
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| Motto | Service, Pride, Dedication |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1886 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Washington, USA |
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| Seattle Police jurisdiction | |
| Legal jurisdiction | City of Seattle |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Police Officers | ca. 1,300 |
| Agency executive | Kathleen O'Toole, Chief of Police |
| Website | |
| Seattle Police Website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington, except for the campus of the University of Washington, for which responsibility falls to the University of Washington Police Department. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Seattle Police Department has various specialty units including SWAT, bike patrol, harbor patrol, motorcycles, mounted patrols, and Special Police.
Law enforcement in Seattle began with the appointment of William H. ("Uncle Joe") Surber as town marshal in 1861. The SPD was officially organized on June 2, 1869. As of 2011, it had a staff of around 1,800. Since the establishment of the Seattle Police Department, 58 officers have died in the line of duty.
In 2011, the Justice Department found that the department had engaged in a pattern of constitutional violations in its use of force.
On May 19, 2014, Kathleen O'Toole was nominated to serve as Chief of the Seattle Police Department and was officially appointed on June 23, 2014.
The Chief of the Seattle Police Department is Kathleen O'Toole.
After three years in patrol, officers can become candidates to transfer to a wide variety of specialty units and are also eligible to attend a weeklong detective school. After five years as a police officer, he or she can take a promotional examination. Every other year, civil service tests are administered for promotions. Tests are given for the rank of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. Assistant and Deputy chiefs are appointed by the chief from the management ranks. Officers may be promoted to sergeant after five years of experience with the Department and passing the Sergeant's test. Lieutenants must have at least three years' experience as Sergeants and Captains must have at least three years' experience. A bachelor's degree may substitute for one year of experience but can only be used for one promotional exam.
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Wikipedia