The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, except for the campus of the University of Washington, for which responsibility falls to the University of Washington Police Department. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Seattle Police Department has various specialty units including SWAT, bike patrol, harbor patrol, motorcycles, and mounted patrols.
Law enforcement in Seattle began with the appointment of William H. ("Uncle Joe") Surber as town marshal in 1861. The SPD was officially organized on June 2, 1886. As of 2011, it had a staff of around 1,800. Since the establishment of the Seattle Police Department, 58 officers have died in the line of duty.
Read more about Seattle Police Department: Command Structure, Rank Structure and Insignia, Significant Events, Bike Unit, Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words seattle, police and/or department:
“I once heard of a murderer who propped his two victims up against a chess board in sporting attitudes and was able to get as far as Seattle before his crime was discovered.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)
“Anarchism is a game at which the police can beat you.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
““Which is more important to you, your field or your children?” the department head asked. She replied, “That’s like asking me if I could walk better if you amputated my right leg or my left leg.””
—Anonymous Parent. As quoted in Women and the Work Family Dilemma, by Deborah J. Swiss and Judith P. Walker, ch. 2 (1993)