Seattle struggles with police shortage after 'defund' movement as 100 officers leave force

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Over 100 officers leave Seattle police this year

Seattle radio show host Jason Rantz joins Martha MacCallum to discuss the shortage of police officers in the city in the wake of the defund the police movement on 'The Story.'

Seattle radio host Jason Rantz joined Martha MacCallum on "The Story" Friday to share disturbing new numbers from the ongoing Seattle police officer shortage. Crime has surged nationwide in 2022, and struggling recruitment efforts of law enforcement following the defund the police movement are partially to blame.

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JASON RANTZ: Unfortunately, despite a big announcement yesterday from the mayor, Bruce Harrell, that he's got a new recruitment plan, it's not really a plan. It's a little bit updated from things we've already been doing. 

His goal is to get 500 new cops to sign up over the course of five years to get us to this goal of 1,450. The problem with that plan is it only works if a 100% retention rate stays through the next five years. 

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We had 103 officers this year leave;12 left last week. So this idea that over the course of the next five years to get to a place where we need to be right now is sufficient is bizarre. 

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And the way he's trying to do this is basically to say, we're just going to offer higher bonuses for new recruits or lateral transfers from different departments. But that's not enough. We need the 500 right now. We're in the middle of a crime surge.

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