Background: The Seattle consent decree began in 2012 following a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union to the then-Attorney General alleging excessive use of force.

Time:

13+ years

Status:

Ongoing

Cost:

>$200 million

Result: As SPD continues to make progress toward compliance, the City of Seattle requested that their consent decree get lifted in July 2025. Seattle has fewer officers per capita than most other major cities. Seattle has also seen a clear upward trajectory in both violent and property crime since the low point in 2012. Seattle’s consent decree monitors have been a large topic of conversation — from the purity of their intentions, to a texting scandal, to concerning financial motives.

View Graph   Graph Source: King 5