Seattle Police Chief ‘Looks Forward’ to Seeing Re-envisioned Public Safety in Action in Resignation Letter

Late last night we reported on the breaking news that the Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best will be resigning or as she puts it in her letter “retiring”, likely over budget cuts, an impending salary cut, and lack of support from the city council amid what some consider to be tyranny.

This tyranny stems from mobs of protesters, rioters, and looters in the wake of the George Floyd death, some of which even went to Chief Best’s house to intimidate her, in a wild and shocking turn of events. Best released an emotional letter to the department saying that she looks forward to seeing how their new plan of running the Seattle PD will work basically.

Although her letter is friendly, it’s easy to draw the conclusion that she is skeptical about their plan if you so decide to see it that way. See her full letter:

NBC’s KING5 reported:

In a letter to the department, Chief Best wrote:

“To the Women and Men of the Seattle Police Department –    

“I wanted to notify you that I will be retiring from the Seattle Police Department, effective September 2nd, 2020. I wanted you to hear this from me, but some media have reached this conclusion on their own.   

“This was a difficult decision for me, but when it’s time, it’s time.  

“I want to thank Mayor Durkan for her continuous support through good times and tough times.

“I am confident the department will make it through these difficult times. You truly are the best police department in the country, and please trust me when I say, the vast majority of people in Seattle support you and appreciate you.   

“I am impressed daily at your skill, your compassion, and your dedication. I am thankful my command team has agreed to continue serving the department, and that Mayor Durkan has appointed Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz as the interim Chief of Police. Chief Diaz shares my commitment to this department and has the trust of the community.   

“I look forward to seeing how this department moves forward through the process of re-envisioning public safety. I relish the work that will be done by all of you. 

“After more than 28 years, I am so thankful for the time I spent at SPD. You are my family. You will always be in my heart. We have had tough times before and come out better on the other side. I am glad I pushed through each of those tough times with you.   

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as your Chief.  

“Remember to take care of one another.”

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan also issued a response to the news, saying in part: 

“Know that while I understand the Chief’s reasons, I accepted her decision with a very heavy heart. I have had the privilege to be with Chief Carmen Best in so many situations: with her family, at roll calls, in community meetings, and in nearly weekly meetings addressing public safety in Seattle. Her grit, grace and integrity have inspired me and made our city better. These last months, I knew Chief Best was the person to lead our city through this challenging time, to reimagine policing and community safety. Her leadership is unmatched nationwide, which is why it is a sad day for our City to lose her.

“Carmen Best is still devoted to this department and our city. I regret deeply that she concluded that the best way to serve the city and help the department was a change in leadership, in the hope that would change the dynamics to move forward with the City Council.” 

Earlier we reported:

Seattle City Council voted to cut the Seattle Police Department’s budget and also approved a reduction in salary for Police Chief Carmen Best. Only one member of the Council voted against amending the police budget, Kim Sawant.

Sawant is quoted as saying “It completely fails to defund the police by 50%, as six of the eight council members had promised to support and carries out a major austerity program on behalf of big business.”

See the video below for more info:

In our opinion the angry mob using political violence instead of voting to get their way is winning. This is tragic and not something that should be happening in the United States of America.