The City of Seattle has a new collective bargaining contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), which represents rank-and-file officers. The Seattle City Council approved the contract by a margin of 6 to 3, with Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Eddie Lin, and Rob Saka voting no.

The new contract, which won tentative approval before the election, includes significant pay raises, incentives for new hires, and those who move to SPD from other departments, known as laterals.

It also strengthens the city’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement Team, known as CARE. The team already responds in coordination with officers to help those experiencing a mental health and/or a crisis of addiction or other non-violent situations where a sworn officer is not necessarily needed. W

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