Seattle's first Black Police Chief, Carmen Best, announced her resignation on the same day that City Council approved of cutting her police departments budget and staff.
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Seattle's City Council voted in favor of a nearly $4 million budget cut, as well as reducing the departments staff by as many as 100 police officers. After hearing about the cuts, Best immediately announced her plans to retire -- which will become official on September 2.
According to NBC News, Best had lead the police department since July of 2018.
âI am confident the department will make it through these difficult times,â Best wrote in a resignation letter to her department. âYou truly are the best police department in the country, and please trust me when I say, the vast majority of people in Seattle support you and appreciate you. ... I look forward to seeing how this department moves forward through the process of re-envisioning public safety. I relish the work that will be done by all of you.â
Both President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr have been very vocal about the civil unrest in Seattle the last few weeks. And after hearing about Best's resignation on Tuesday, Barr said that he was "disheartened."
"In the face of mob violence, she drew the line in the sand and said, 'Enough!'" Barr said. "Her example should be an inspiration to all who respect the rule of law and cherish safety and security in their communities. This experience should be a lesson to state and local leaders about the real costs of irresponsible proposals to defund the police."
But despite the City Council's vote and new department changes, protesters in Seattle say cutting less than $4 million from the police departments $400 million budget simply isn't enough to address police brutality...
Read the full story on USA Today.