Seattle City Council Votes to Cut Police Budget by 18 Percent

Seattle Police arrest a woman after demonstrators blocked the intersection of East Pine Street and 11th Avenue following the clearing of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) by police in Seattle, Wash. on July 1, 2020. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

The Seattle City Council on Monday voted to slash police funding by 18 percent as part of the city’s 2021 budget, while channeling millions to community programs, according to officials and reports.

The adopted budget cuts over $30 million from the Seattle Police Department (SPD), including by moving parking enforcement and 911 dispatchers outside the department, according to the Seattle Times.