Seattle police union chief suggests up to 400 officers could depart force this year

The president of a police union in Seattle, Wash., this week expressed concern that the police force there could lose up to 400 officers over the next year, reflecting ongoing anxieties over police retention nationwide a year after a major backlash to law enforcement around the country. 

Mike Solan, the president of the Seattle Police Officer's Guild, told the Washington Examiner on Friday that he was "fearful that we could lose up to 400 people within a year's time" after reportedly losing more than 200 officers over the past year. 

"And then, where does that put us in our community?” Solan asked. 

The major activist push against police forces across the country over the past year has come alongside both local and national advocacy by many politicians seeking to "defund" the police. Solan suggested such efforts could end up being responsible for rising crime rates in Seattle. 

"You have elected officials who are defunding the police department, which in my view hurts those communities within our Seattle area the most, who actually support the police because they know what's coming is that crime will visit their doorstep," he said.