SEATTLE – On the last official day of spring, it was beautiful with plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures. 

Highs today were finally above average, topping out in the mid to upper 70s. 

Meteorological Summer officially begins Thursday at 1:50pm PST. This will be the longest day of the year, with almost 16 hours of daylight! 

Tonight we will see clear skies and mild temperatures overnight. Winds will be calm. 

Plenty of sunshine is expected on Thursday as high pressure builds into the area with only a few high clouds passing through. 

We will start to see more summer-like temperatures Thursday with highs in the low to mid 80s. 

Regional Highs Tomorrow 

The warmest day this week will be Friday topping out in the mid 80s for most spots around Puget Sound. Slight cooler temperatures and a few more clouds on Saturday. Temperatures will drop back into the upper 60s by Sunday into early next week. 

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) lost 38 officers, including recruits, as of June 3, 2024. Conversely, they only hired or rehired 15 officers this year, leaving Seattle Police with its lowest staffing levels since 1958.

The total SPD separations come as seven more officers left the force in May. At the current rate, and considering nearly a third of the force is eligible for retirement, the city projects that it will lose 94 officers by the end of the year. The city only expects to hire or rehire 34 this year.

The total number of deployable officers can vary day to day because of injuries, planned extended time off, or maternity/paternity leave. But as of June 3, there were only 848 total deployable officers (not including recruits and students).

Compare the current stats to January 1, 1958, and the crisis is clear. According to a staffing document obtained by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH, there were 918 deployable Seattle Police staff. There’s been a dramatic rise in population and crime since.

How is the city of Seattle addressing the police staffing crisis?

The mayor’s office said it’s stepping up recruitment efforts for SPD. But their strategy so far has not worked.

In a virtue signaling pivot, SPD is actively recruiting so-called DREAMERS — recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Status (DACA). Bipartisan legislation allowing DACA recipients to be hired for civil service jobs went into effect on June 6.

But DACA is still being challenged in court and a DACA recipient’s ability to carry a firearm is based on January 2024 guidance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the Biden administration. DACA could be declared unconstitutional and the guidance can change with a new administration.

Moreover, how many DACA recipients could possibly be interested in being a police officer? The general public has little interest as it is. This strategy won’t likely bring in many — if any — applicants.

Jason Rantz Exclusive: Former Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz announces he’s gay

Crime is still out of control

There is an urgent need for police as the City of Seattle is trying to recover from last year’s historic high of 74 homicides.

At 21 homicides this year (plus two additional ones that happened in the city but are being investigated by Washington State Patrol), Seattle is trending lower than where it was in 2023 (ending June with 30 homicides). But there’s caution as the city deals with a surge in juvenile crime and summer months usually see a bump in violent crime.

But it’s not just violent crime plaguing the city. Businesses and car owners are hounded by frequent break-ins, theft and vandalism as the city struggles to reach pre-2020 criminal justice reform numbers. The crisis has deteriorated to the point where small businesses are spending big dollars to hire private security since they know there are not enough police to protect their neighborhoods.

Much of the property crime isn’t even reported — a point conceded by former Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Diaz –which skews data that is cherry-picked to downplay the crisis for political purposes. As activists and some politicians claim, Seattle is thriving, an alarming number of businesses continue to shut down, and downtown commercial real estate is being sold on the cheap.

Listen to “The Jason Rantz Show” on weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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The Seattle Mariners are trying to toe a very difficult line between having the best possible roster – and hurting a young player’s development.

At the core of this debate is Tyler Locklear, the team’s No. 8 overall prospect, according to MLB.com. He was promoted to the big leagues just about two weeks ago when Ty France suffered a fracture in his heel. In France’s absence, he played almost every day at first base, popping two home runs and showing a discerning eye to go along with his power.

However, France is back as of Tuesday night and the Mariners’ roster situation is now murky. The M’s roster is undoubtedly better with Locklear on it, as the offensively-challenged M’s can use anyone who can hit the ball out of the ballpark, but are they doing him harm in the name of helping the current team?

Let’s examine:

The Mariners played France at first, Mitch Garver at DH, Cal Raleigh at catcher and put Mitch Haniger on the bench. With that grouping alone, the M’s already had an “odd-man-out” with Haniger, so now with Locklear they have two. Are they prepared to bench multiple people they like per day to get Locklear in the lineup? It doesn’t seem likely, does it? Sure, they could put Locklear at first and bench France, but they are still putting someone else on the pine, and it just seems like too many bodies to navigate.

Would someone like Samad Taylor, who doesn’t offer the upside of Locklear, actually fit the roster better?

Locklear got 476 collegiate at-bats at Virginia Commonwealth and has 630 career minor league at-bats, so it’s not like he’s never swung the bat before, but he’s only taken 67 at-bats above Double-A. At some point, he does need to play regularly so he can continue getting better. France is only under contract through 2025 and it seems increasingly less likely that the M’s will pay him, so you’d have to assume they’d want Locklear to be the regular first baseman for that season. How can he do that if he just sits the bench for extended stretches?

The M’s have been linked to both Pete Alonso and Vlad Guerrero Jr. on the trade market. If they acquire ANOTHER first baseman, the problem is only made worse. Furthermore, even if they were to trade France in a deal for one of those guys, we’re right back where we started.

1) M’s power past Guardians in Game 1 of series on Tuesday

2) M’s put out thoughtful statement on passing of Willie Mays

3) Griffey puts out statement on passing of Mays