The Great Seattle Police Reduction Debate
City officials and taxpayers clash over whether the Seattle police force should be downsized despite rising city tensions.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At the meeting of the City Council last evening, the matter of the advisability of reducing the police force was discussed. The matter was brought before the Council in the shape of a report from Inspector Alden, stating that four men had already withdrawn from the force, two upon their own resignations and two others who were discharged. There were also two petitions presented. One remonstrating against a reduction of the force was signed by some of the best taxpayers in the city, including David T. Denny, Dexter Horton, and the O. & P. S. R. R. Co. Councilman Forth desired to allow the Inspector of Police to reduce the force as rapidly as he considered prudent. Councilman Callwan thought that fifteen men were an ample force, stating he did not approve of the eight-hour shifts, as he considered the men ought to work twelve hours a day. He added, 'Seattle has a mania for signing all kinds of petitions. Some of those men who signed that remonstrance came to me today asking me to reduce the police force.' Mayor Yesler thought the best plan was to reduce the force gradually. Mr. Hanford, in response, spoke on the advisability of retaining a good, strong force, drawing comparisons with San Francisco and noting the expense of the prosecution of parties participating in the Squak [Valley] troubles of last fall. The matter was finally terminated by a vote to instruct the Inspector to reduce the force to 14 patrolmen and 2 officers.
“Seattle has a mania for signing all kinds of petitions. Some of those men who signed that remonstrance came to me today asking me to reduce the police force.”
The 1886 debate over police staffing levels—pitting taxpayer austerity against the perceived need for public order—parallels modern Seattle's ongoing civic arguments regarding the size and scope of the SPD budget. The mention of the 'Squak troubles' refers to the anti-Chinese violence in 1885, showing how historical trauma and displacement shaped the city's early policing priorities.
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