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Seattle Police Department receives most applications in 10 years

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Seattle Police Department receives most applications in 10 years


Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell shared some positive news for Seattle law enforcement.

According to a news release from Harrell on Tuesday, the Seattle Police Department received the highest number of applications in 10 years — more than 4,300 in 2024.

The city hired 84 cops last year and for the first time since 2020, the number of officers hired outpaced the number leaving. In 2024, 83 officers left the department but 84 were hired. The year before, 97 officers left the department and only 61 were hired. SPD reported 4,115 entry-level and 216 lateral applications in 2024, with the average total number of applications per day more than doubling.

More on MyNW: Seattle Police Department fires officer who hit and killed Jaahnavi Kandula

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Harrell credited new recruiting approaches and higher pay for the boost in officers. According to the release, the department introduced electronic pre-employment background testing to keep applications moving. It also hired additional examination support staff, allowed candidates to take the agility test from home and improved candidate tracking and outreach.

The department noted there are seven steps for entry-level candidates to apply including submitting an application, completing a written test, taking a physical agility test, passing a background investigation, completing a medical evaluation and completing a polygraph assessment.

“We continue making strides towards creating the best police department to work for period,” Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr stated. “With those improvements, we are just starting to see the results, with more than 20 new officers waiting to go to the academy and hundreds more just beginning the process.”

In April, MyNorthwest investigated what officers had to say as they were leaving the department. Of the more than a dozen SPD exit interviews in 2023 acquired by MyNorthwest, 100% were of officers who served more than five years with the department, 82% were from officers who served 11-15 years, 73% from officers who served more than 15 years and 64% came from officers who reached 20 or more years of service.

Four years after CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest) usurped Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, officers were still reeling from the repercussions.

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‘SPD is dying’: What Seattle police officers are saying during exit interviews

When presented with the question: What factors had a negative effect on morale in the department, Seattle police officers were nearly united in their responses.

“SPD’s political posture and city management in all categories,” one departing officer, a detective who’s been with Seattle for more than 10 years, said in response. “The morale and retention will never be achieved in the political climate of Seattle. SPD is dying and the command staff is along for the ride — watching it die.”

In total, 73% of obtained exit interviews cited city leadership as a reason for leaving. More than 80% cited staffing issues.

Now that SPD was able to hire more officers will it be able to keep them? Harrell is hopeful, stating in the release, “Since day one of my administration, officer recruitment and retention has been a major priority, and 2024’s net positive staffing — for the first time since 2019 — is a sign of progress, even as we recognize there is much more work to do.”

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Contributing: Heather Bosch, KIRO Newsradio and Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.





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Seattle, WA

MLB Mock Trade: Seattle Mariners Deal Luis Castillo to Atlanta Braves

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MLB Mock Trade: Seattle Mariners Deal Luis Castillo to Atlanta Braves


The Seattle Mariners have had a busy offseason as they try to improve their roster and break through to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle has been active in free agency and on the trade market. One of their final roster questions is who will serve as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. The Mariners could make one more move before the start of the season to address this need, potentially through a trade with the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves are dealing with some serious injuries to their starting rotation this offseason. After an impressive 2025 campaign, Spencer Schwellenbach has been shut down because of bone spurs. Breakout candidate Hurston Waldrep was also shut down during Spring Training with elbow inflammation. Both pitchers underwent surgery in February, leaving two open spots in Atlanta’s rotation. Let’s break down a mock trade centered on Luis Castillo that could help fill those holes for the Braves.

Atlanta Braves – Seattle Mariners Mock Trade

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Atlanta Braves receive SP Luis Castillo 

Seattle Mariners receive C Sean Murphy, SP Owen Murphy 

In this mock trade, the Braves acquire All-Star starter Luis Castillo. In exchange, the Mariners receive former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy and a young pitching prospect in Owen Murphy.

Fantasy Baseball Outlook

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Luis Castillo would slot into the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation behind Chris Sale and Spencer Strider. He has been very effective for the Mariners since they acquired him from the Reds at the trade deadline four seasons ago. In 2025, Castillo went 11–8 in 32 games with a 3.54 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts. His fantasy value would likely dip if he left Seattle’s pitcher-friendly ballpark. Still, he has proven himself as a reliable, effective starter through consistent performance, and he would play a key role for Atlanta.

With the Mariners, Sean Murphy would serve as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. He would likely see a drop in playing time in Seattle, but this move could also give the Mariners more opportunities to use Raleigh at DH. With the fifth spot open in the Seattle rotation, Emerson Hancock and Cooper Criswell would be viable, experienced options. Alternatively, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are elite prospects who have had strong Spring Trainings and could break camp on Opening Day. The young pitching prospect Owen Murphy would also join a talented farm system and provide a future option for the rotation.

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VIDEO: Scream Club Seattle keeps growing, midway through first year

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VIDEO: Scream Club Seattle keeps growing, midway through first year


(Story originally posted 8:22 pm, updated 12:32 am)

By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

From a distance, they looked like a regular crowd of people enjoying a nice evening walk on the shores of Lincoln Park. But they were gathered here for a singular purpose: to scream. Since September 2025, the Scream Club Seattle has met at Lincoln Park on every third Sunday to scream, led by head organizer Amber Walcker. No explanation, justification, or invitation to scream is needed – come as you are. “There are some harder emotions people come here to deal with, sure, but some people also just come to scream.” head organizer Amber explained.

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Tonight’s crowd showed the club is rapidly growing. From around a dozen or so participants in the first gathering in September, tonight seemed to attract around 40 people gathering to let it all out.

As the sun started to set, and everyone was finally gathered together, the Scream Club was ready to begin.

There are only three screams, organizer Amber explained. The first, she said, is a scream to get used to doing it in public. The second scream is there to ground you. And the final – and longest scream – is there to let you have an emotional catharsis.

She also wanted to make sure people were taking care of their vocal health beforehand. As she told everyone to walk a little bit from the meeting place and start to gather near the shore, she instructed the crowd to hum for a few minutes on the way, to warm up the vocal cords.

With that, the crowd walked towards the shore.

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“On the count of one – two – three – scream!” said organizer Amber.

You can see our video of the proceedings here. After the screaming, we talked to a few participants about why they came out.

“There’s not one thing that’s really making me want to scream. There’s a lot of stuff going on for me, a lot of emotional ups and downs. Screaming into the ocean together gives you a sense of community.” said Jessie.

“This is my third or fourth time coming to scream. With the political climate, with everything that’s happening, getting together with local community to scream feels more productive than screaming into the internet on social media.” said Ursula.

“This is my first time coming out.” said Liz. “I screamed after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and I really felt something. I realized I’ve been feeling a lot of frustration recently, and it felt like coming here was a healthy way to get it out rather than screaming at your neighbors.”

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Organizer Amber recognizes much of what they were saying. “Meeting like this can be an important element to have in your mental health toolbox. It’s rare to have scream therapy.” She shared an anecdote about the therapeutic origins of the group, which originally started with a chapter in Chicago. “The founder was a life coach. Their girlfriend was having a bad day, and they encouraged them to go to the Chicago Pier and just let it out. He walked her through the process, and that was that. Eventually they invited more people to come do it.” She hopes to bring that same therapeutic energy to the practice here. “It’s a moment of emotional release more than anything else. Depending on what’s going on in people’s minds, everyone will come here with a different mindset and purpose. We’re providing a safe space to do that.”

Scream Club Seattle meets at Lincoln Park on the first Sunday of every month, and they are also starting to meet on the third Sunday of every month at Golden Gardens in Ballard. Tentatively, the next events will be in Lincoln Park on April 5th around 6 PM, and Golden Gardens on March 15th around 5 PM. If you’d like to know more, you can find them on Instagram here or look at their future events on their Eventbrite page here.





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Detectives Investigating Robbery, Shooting Over $20 Necklace – SPD Blotter

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Detectives Investigating Robbery, Shooting Over  Necklace – SPD Blotter


Seattle police detectives are investigating a robbery and shooting of a 23-year-old man over a $20 necklace in Pioneer Square this morning.

At about 12:40 a.m., patrol officers responded to a shooting in the 500 block of 2nd Avenue. There, they found a victim, bleeding, with a gunshot wound to his right thigh. Police and the Seattle Fire Department treated his injury. Medics took him to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in stable condition.

Police determined that the victim just left a bar, getting into the passenger seat of his friend’s car, when the suspect, wearing a ski mask and armed with a firearm, approached him and demanded his necklace. They struggled over the item, and the suspect shot the victim in the leg. The shooter fled in a vehicle with the necklace before police arrived. The value of the “chain” is about $20.

Detectives in the Robbery Unit responded to the scene and HMC. Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are accepted.

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Incident Number: 2026-57536



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