Tuesday, during a press conference outgoing, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said she was resigning due to a lack of respect for officers in the wake of a city council vote enacting significant budget cuts to the city’s police department.
Best said, “After serving this department and this community for over three decades, I can honestly say I have no regrets. There are things I would change, but being a Seattle police officer and the opportunity to be a police chief was the dream of a lifetime.”
She continued, “I will continue to do all I can over the next three weeks to set this department up for a smooth transition. I will always love being a Seattle Police Department officer. To the men and women of the Seattle Police Department, sworn and civilian, you will always have my respect. You will always be in my heart. You are, without a doubt, the best police department in the country.”
When asked if she is retiring because of the protests or a pay cut, Best said, “This is not about the money, and it certainly isn’t about the demonstrators. Be real, I have a lot thicker skin than that. It really is about the overarching lack of respect for the officers, the men, and women who work so hard day in and day out. And honestly, the idea of letting —after we worked so incredibly hard to make sure our department was diverse, that reflected the community we serve to just turn that all on a dime and hack it off without having a plan in place to move forward is highly distressful for me. It goes against my principles and my convictions, and I really couldn’t do it.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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